The Alchemy of Silver and Gold
by The Wayward Philosopher
Summary: AU- Set during the revolution. "The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is any reaction, both are transformed." -Carl Jung
1. Chapter 1: Entrusted

_Author's Notes: It is generally my preference to put these at the end, but there are some things I should probably mention before you start reading._

_First off, this is an AU timeline; the entire story (well most of it, anyway) takes place during the bakumatsu. As such, I've adjusted everyone's ages to fit them in it. This first chapter happens the year Kaoru is born. To give you some idea, this is before the Meiji Restoration/Revolution (it's kind of a contested moniker) takes place, but close enough to the start that savvy people know it's coming. _

_Secondly, there will be some pretty significant timeskips between early chapters, then I'll slow down once we actually get to the nexus of the story, so to speak. Hopefully, everything you need to know will fall out of the story pretty organically, but if there is something I feel might need explaining, I'll put it in a note like this one (though hopefully shorter). _

_That said, if there's anything that I fail to make clear, feel free to ask! And be kind with the historical criticism, if I screw something up, it's generally on purpose; the manga wasn't all that correct itself. _

_This chapter is edited as of May 1, 2010, but if you've already read it, you need not read again unless you want to!  
_

* * *

Chapter 1: Entrusted

_Do not trust all men, but trust men of worth; the former course is silly, the latter a mark of prudence._

_-Democritus_

* * *

Kamiya Koshijiro raised his dark, thoughtful eyes skyward and asked whoever might be listening to make sure that his friend was still there.

It had been so long since the two had last met, and he could only pray that his former senpai was still in this forsaken forest outside Kyoto. If he wasn't… there was no telling. He continued along the dirt road, allowing his memories to guide him, the sword smith's words weighing heavily on his mind.

"_I have forged my last blades, Kamiya. They will come for me, and demand that I make more, but I cannot. I have gazed upon these swords and seen that this is what is right. Please, take them. Give one to the person you trust the most, and keep the other safe. These swords are not for this era, but for the next, and I fear what will happen if they are misused."_

Koshijiro clasped the hilt of the sword at his waist. The blades were the last thing he had expected, but they had given him hope. Hope that perhaps one day, in this new era that Muramasa had spoken of, such blades really would make a difference.

_A reverse-blade sword. A tool to protect people._

Koshijiro smiled. Yes, certainly that was something to look forward to. The road ended, and he was brought back into focus as he tried to remember precisely where to go from here. The forest was large, and it would not do to get lost. Survival in those woods, while a problem for many an errant wanderer, was not his issue. He had, after all, practically grown up here. Rather, his matter was one of some urgency, and he needed to return home as soon as possible. Finding his direction, he sprang forward, allowing his legs to propel him forward almost on muscle memory alone.

At length, he reached a familiar clearing, and was surprised to see a small boy of about four swinging a stick around as though it were a sword. The sight stirred conflicting emotions within him; he was joyfully reminded of his own child, currently no more than a few weeks old, and of the reason for his urgency. Sadness welled in his chest as he thought of what it meant that such a young boy was already learning to defend himself, and yet he knew that it would not be long before he began teaching his own daughter the same thing. Such were the times.

The redheaded child lost his balance, and Koshijiro chuckled lightly. It was odd, that having a child of his own could make everything about all youngsters so much more charming. It seemed he was turning into an old soft-heart already.

"Hello there," he said, pitching his tone low and quiet so as not to frighten the boy.

He was regarded with wide, solemn purple eyes. _A startling color. _The boy did not reply, however, so Koshijiro spoke again. _  
_

"What's your name?" he inquired gently, bending at the knees to come eye-level with his taciturn companion.

"Shi- I mean Kenshin." The small voice was uncertain, quiet.

_Ah, so he is merely shy. Perhaps... _"Well, Kenshin, you're doing a pretty good job with that sword there. But you know what might help even more?"

Kenshin's eyes widened, and he looked at the stick in his hand, then back up to Koshijiro with the utmost solemnity.

Koshijiro smiled. _Of course. Hiko must be teaching him. _Why this might be, Koshijiro had no idea. There was clearly a story here, but he dismissed it as being of secondary importance. Still, he could help this child, and so he would. "It's the way you stand. See, if you turn your foot just a little bit here…" He demonstrated the stance, "You'll keep your balance better. Why don't you try it?"

Kenshin appeared doubtful, but he turned his foot accordingly and swung. When he didn't fall over, a grin broke out on his face.

"Thank you, sir," he said politely, still smiling, but betraying no other outward signs of emotion. _It would seem he has suffered, this child._

"My name's Koshijiro," the man replied. Then, almost as an afterthought, he continued, "Say Kenshin?"

"Yes, Koshijiro-sensei?" The title was used seemingly without care, but Koshijiro felt something stir at what it meant, and he smiled again. He was certainly a swordsman, but a teacher? Maybe he'd have to consider opening a dojo…

"I'm looking for someone, and I thought maybe you could help me. Have you seen a big, scary man with a cape around here?" He darted his glance sideways quickly, conspiratorially.

Kenshin's eyes widened, and he looked like he was about to respond, but as Koshijiro had been expecting, the barb had been enough to draw Hiko out of his own accord from his hiding place a ways away from the other two.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm here," grumbled the thirteenth master of Hiten Mitsurugi, "The question is, what the Hell are you doing here, Kamiya?" The tone was gruff, but Koshijiro did not miss the underlying brotherly affection nor the hint of surprise.

The younger swordsman grinned, "Now, now, Seijiro, there's no need to be like that. Can't an old friend stop in once in a while for a visit?" His own voice was jovial, and he did not bother to disguise the pleasure he felt at seeing his friend again.

Hiko snorted, "Last time you 'stopped in for a visit,' you left with a few new bruises, as I recall."

"And as I recall, that just about tied our sparring record, now didn't it?" the smaller man rejoined quickly.

"You here for a tiebreaker, Kamiya?"

Koshijiro raised his hands in mock defeat, "Oh, no, nothing like that." His expression grew more serious. "I came to talk to you. Besides," he grinned, "I've already won."

Hiko raised an eyebrow at the look of triumph on his friend's face. "Whatever. Come on in if you like. Just don't damage my student any more than you already have. And you-" he turned to Kenshin- "do three hundred more of those, without stopping to chat this time."

Kenshin nodded dutifully, but Koshijiro shook his head. "Ouch. That's a bit harsh, don't you think?" He nodded in the boy's direction. Little Kenshin was clearly exhausted already.

"Our master was no easier on us," the other man shrugged.

Hiko led Koshijiro into his house, and the two sat opposite each other, on either side of a sturdy table. Koshijiro swept his eyes over the home quickly. This, too was much as he remembered it. If anything, Hiko was even more spartan than their master had been, and the few hints of luxury, the painted scrolls and fine chinaware for tea, these were gone, though likely just into storage. Hiko was acctually a good deal more sentimental than he led others to believe, though his kohai was under an only semi-joking threat of death not to reveal as much.

"I'd offer you sake, but I know you don't like it." Hiko smirked slightly and poured himself a bowl with relish.

"I'd thank you and decline, but you didn't offer." Hiko rolled his eyes, but Koshijiro knew him well enough to detect the amusement in them. The feeling of nostalgia was overwhelming here, and it took Koshijiro back to a time when his whole world had been Hiko, their master, and the training.

"So, did you ever manage to create those moves you'd been working on?" Hiko asked, breaking the silence.

"Yes, actually, I'm happy to say that the Kamiya Kasshin style now has a full set of succession techniques." Koshijiro had set to work creating his own style when he had left their master's dojo, and only recently had completed the most powerful techniques his own school- should he ever have one- would teach. It wasn't so much that he'd lacked power until then, merely that the techniques had to balance that power with the lives of those it was being used against.

"Damn, Koshijiro, sometimes I forget why master picked me to learn the final techniques of the Hiten Mitsurugi. Then I think he probably knew the world would get a whole new school out of it." Hiko's expression was wry, one eyebrow slightly raised.

Koshijiro shook his head, "Don't flatter me, Seijiro. It ill becomes you. We both know he chose you because I had neither the temperament nor the body type for it."

The older man rolled his eyes. "Are you still on about that 'sword that protects people' crap? I told you, swords kill people, and-"

"Kenjutsu is the art of murder, yes, I know," the other man finished with a long-suffering smile. "But it doesn't have to be. My succession techniques attest to it, I promise you. Between the fundamentals of the Hiten Mitsurugi and what I've picked up from other schools, I'm hoping to show people that."

"Idealist," Hiko muttered under his breath.

"Cynic," Koshijiro responded in kind.

"Fair point," his friend conceded, polishing off his sake and pouring himself another bowl.

"My, you've grown quite fond of that stuff, haven't you?" There was a teasing note to Koshijiro's voice, and Hiko was quick to pick up on it.

"I don't suppose you actually came here just to chat?" he asked pointedly, shifting the topic before it went any further. Koshijiro acknowledged the switch by growing somber, letting his gaze fall to the table before them.

"No, there is something you need to know."

* * *

Hiko's eyes narrowed at his friend's change in mood. Just what was going on? _It isn't like Koshijiro to be so down. Bloody idealist always seemed so cheerful, no matter how hard the old codger worked us. _It would appear that time had changed his friend, and not in the best of ways.

"About a week ago, Muramasa came and found me at my home. He seemed…off, and he was talking like he was on his deathbed or something." He looked back up at his senpai, and Hiko nodded slowly. Muramasa was a mutual acquaintance, and the two of them had helped the smith out of more than one tight spot. It made sense that he would come to one of them if he was in trouble.

"Based on what he said, he just might be. He gave me two swords, and said they were his last, that he would make no more." Koshijiro's hand went unconsciously to the blades at his obi. One was a standard wooden bokken, the other appeared to be an intricately-made katana.

"That might not be his choice," responded Hiko. _What's Muramasa thinking?_

He was prevented from speculating when his companion spoke again. "That's just it, Seijiro, I think he's completely serious. He said the swords are for a new era. He seemed to be very concerned that they be kept safe. He didn't even want one person to keep them both, and told me to give the other to the person I trusted most."

"I see," Hiko responded. Some things, at least, never changed. Even after all these years, Koshijiro was the only man that Hiko would ever trust his life to, and it still appeared to be the other way around as well.

Koshijiro proffered the katana he had been wearing at his waist, and Hiko took it. Sliding the blade out of its sheath, he could tell immediately from the balance and quality that Muramasa had outdone himself. No wonder he didn't want to make anything else. Still, it _was _a bit surprising.

Hiko's brow furrowed, he grasped the black-and-gold hilt in his sword hand. _What could he possibly mean by this? _"Are both of the weapons sakabatou?" he asked.

"Yes. The other is just as well-made as this one. The only differences seem to be stylistic, mostly in the hilt design." Koshijiro seemed just as puzzled as he, but also hopeful.

_I think I understand now. _His Kohai's reaction had been transparent enough for Hiko to know what he was thinking. "Swords for a new era, huh?" Hiko shook his head, "I'm surrounded by idealists."

Koshijiro frowned slightly, "Nevertheless, you will keep it, will you not?"

Hiko leveled his gaze at his longtime friend, "Of course."

The younger man seemed relieved, "Good. I couldn't think of anyone else to go to if you refused."

This drew a short bark of laughter from Hiko, and seemed to lighten the mood considerably.

"So," Hiko asked after another long draught of sake, "How's the wife? Still can't believe an idiot like you ended up with a looker like that." _Time to lighten the mood a little._

Koshijiro smiled wryly, "Neither can I, believe me. She's… about as well as can be expected. It's taking her a while to recover from the birth, though." The shorter man's expression took on a sly cast, though his tone was offhand at best.

It took Hiko a minute, but then he nearly spit out his sake, swallowing it painfully instead. "Say what?!"

"Oh, didn't I tell you? My wife had a child a few weeks ago. We've named her Kaoru." Koshijiro feigned surprise, but he could not conceal the grin that sprouted on his face, nor the slight chuckle at his friend's answering glare.

Hiko muttered darkly, but as always, Koshijiro's high spirits were at least somewhat contagious. Though Hiko himself did not display much in the way of emotion, that was no evidence that he did not feel it. He asked the first question that came to mind. "Are you going to teach her your style?"

Koshijiro seemed thoughtful. "As unusual as it might be for a woman to inherit a style, yes. I want my daughter to be strong. And… something tells me Kaoru will be my only child. I can't see there being enough room in my heart for another..." he trailed off, thoughts clearly elsewhere.

Hiko would have scoffed at the sentiment, but something in his friend's eyes gave him pause. What he was saying was only half of the truth, and Hiko wondered if Koshijiro was referring to another _child_ or a second _wife_. _If it's really taking her more than three weeks to recover…_

"What about you?" he continued, apparently snapping out of whatever reverie had held him. "Is little Kenshin your student?"

Hiko smirked, faking his irritation but not his gruffness as he replied. "I guess he is now. You've gone and taught him something, now I bet he won't stop bugging me until I do, too. I don't know if I'll ever be able to repair the damage you did, though. What's with making him stand like that?"

Koshijiro shook his head at Hiko's bluster, but did not answer the accusation. Instead, he changed topics again, "There is war on the horizon."

"I know," Hiko responded solemnly, "Not much news reaches me out here, but even I can tell it's coming." He scoffed, "Damned idiots."

Koshijiro examined his hands, his face assuming the expression that Hiko knew meant he was planning contingencies. At length, the master of the Hiten Mitsurugi spoke again. "You and your family should leave the city. You know they'll conscript."

His friend sighed, leaning back a little and tilting his head to stare intently at the ceiling. "I wish I could. But, my wife has family there, and there's no way she'll want to leave them. Besides, I don't want Kaoru to grow up away from her grandparents. I'll just have to find a way of making sure I'm more useful to the government at home than at war."

"Like how?"

"I don't know yet." There was a thoughtful pause, then: "Seijuro?"

"Yeah?"

"I need to ask a favor."

Hiko downed another bowl of sake. He didn't like where this conversation was headed. "What is it?"

"I want you to be Kaoru's godfather." Koshijiro's request was much more direct than usual, which Hiko respected, but there was an edge of pleading to it that made him decidedly suspicious.

"Oh no, I'm not stupid Koshijiro, I know where you're going with this, and it isn't going to happen." He was about ready to launch into a full-on lecture about the value of saving one's own ass when he was interrupted.

"Please, Seijuro. I just need to know that she has somewhere to go if something does happen, of if I need to send her away. Please." Hiko watched as his friend bowed formally, forehead to the floor.

"Fine, fine, just… get up already," he grumbled. Watching his friend grovel was not pleasing; it made him rather uncomfortable.

"Thank you, Seijuro." Koshijiro smiled, but the gesture was somewhat forced-looking. He pulled three rolled scrolls from his gi, "In that case, I will need you to take these. They contain the final three succession moves for the Kamiya Kasshin style. I'm trusting you not to read them."

Hiko accepted the proffered scrolls with an increasing degree of both reluctance and foreboding. Afterward, the two chatted and reminisced for a while longer, but Hiko could tell that his friend's mind was elsewhere.

"Well," he said abruptly, "I'd offer you a room, but that little apprentice of mine is taking the only spare futon." He stood, and his kohai followed his lead.

"I'd politely decline, but no room was offered," Koshijiro responded with a smile.

Hiko followed him to the door and watched silently as he left, waving to the kid on his way out. The two never said goodbye; such wasn't their way, but Hiko couldn't shake the feeling that it was the last time he'd be seeing his kohai.

He was right.

* * *

_Kiku's Corner (aka the endnotes)_

_So, what do you think? I love hearing feedback of any kind. Flames make me sad, but if that's how you feel, I'll take it. Constructive criticism is my favorite, but I also like compliments as much as the next person. All of that was a very wordy way of saying that I would love it if you reviewed._

_Thanks to my betas (I have two! I'm so spoiled!) Torin Jingles and buzzk97 (better known as Beth to anyone who's read any of my other stuff). I think this is much better for your comments, ladies._

_Thanks also to everyone who took the time to try reading this. I hope it was worth your while._

_Until next time,_

_~Kiku~_

_Japanese Dictionary _

_Senpai: Senior student, in school or martial arts._

_Kohai: Junior student of the same._

_Sakabatou: reverse-blade sword._

_I'm sure most of these were pretty obvious, but just in case they weren't, I thought I'd say so anyway._


	2. Chapter 2:Oathbound

Chapter 2: Oathbound

_Creativity can solve almost any problem. The creative act, the defeat of habit by originality, overcomes everything._

_-George Lois_

* * *

"Ayah!"

Kamiya Kaoru swung the bokken with all her might, the wood making a whistling sound as it cut the air in front of her. Her father was faster though, and sidestepped, rapping Kaoru sharply on the back when she failed to recover quickly enough and allowed her momentum to carry her past him.

"Kaoru! You know better than that! You must be aware of the results of your actions always," he admonished.

Kaoru bit back a sigh of frustration. Picking herself up from where the blow had sent her sprawling to the floor, she turned once again to face Koshijiro, hands tightening on the wooden sword's unornamented hilt. She gritted her teeth, resolving to be more careful.

It wasn't as though she was always this reckless. Generally speaking, she was a very defensive fighter, like her father. Today though, Koshijiro had come at her like a different man entirely, and she supposed she had responded in kind. As she grasped what he was trying to teach her, she allowed her breathing to steady, and rushed him again, this time flowing through the movements with more caution, though she was still blocked at every strike. The cracking sound of wood landing heavily on wood filled the otherwise empty dojo, and the two of them leaped around at full speed, utilizing the entire space.

Well, full speed for Kaoru anyway. She was becoming faster almost by the day, but she was still nothing compared to her father. When Koshijiro practiced alone or with his most senior students, his daughter often struggled just to keep track of him, though this too was becoming easier with time.

Kaoru followed Koshijiro's lead as he continued to increase the pace. By this point, she was almost as frustrated as she had been a few moments ago, only she was better at controlling it this time. Still, no matter how hard she tried, she barely ever landed a hit on her father, and never a good one. So she chased him about the room, attempting futilely to get under his guard.

A sharp rap to the shoulder and several more failed attacks later, her mind was casting about for something, anything, to do. Her desperately calculating brain was running move sequences in her head almost faster than she could process them, discarding each in turn, when it alighted on something strange. Why she thought of it she couldn't say, but it made an odd kind of sense and she grasped at it with fervor. The other day, she and her father had passed some street performers while walking through the city. Koshijiro had bought her an indigo ribbon from one of the vendors, but that wasn't what had her so preoccupied. No, there had been a group performing some kind of made-up dance that she had never seen before. The exchange was much like a swordfight, Kaoru had decided, with one dancer lunging towards the other, while the second spun out of the way abruptly and came to face the first's back… _that's it!_ What was the use trying to defeat father with his own style? He knew every move of the Kamiya Kasshin school; he'd _invented _most of them. Why shouldn't she invent something, too?

A grin settled on Kaoru's face, and she saw her father raise an eyebrow. She did not speak, however, merely stood her ground, allowing him to take the offensive he seemed so fond of today.

As she had expected, he began with the Kamiya Kasshin's most attack-oriented stance, and lunged forward, slicing diagonally downward, from right to left. The best response to an attack like this, Kaoru knew, was to dodge to the right, just enough to avoid the blade and let it finish its arc harmlessly. The aggressiveness of the move would leave Koshijiro temporarily open to attack, but Kaoru knew she wasn't fast enough to take advantage of it, so, remembering the dance she had seen, she dodged to the left instead, spinning to avoid the blade's end as it rushed towards her. At the end of the spin, she used her momentum to deliver a one-handed blow to the ribs on Koshijiro's now-exposed side, allowing her to strike with greater speed than if she had stopped and hit using a double grip. The effect was an impressive thud, and Kaoru wound up in a good defensive position for the answering blow.

Rather than continue the match however, Koshijiro held up his hand in defeat, smiling widely as the two exchanged formal bows, signaling the end of the bout. To her surprise, he was still smiling when they both straightened. Before she could fully process the outcome of the match, her normally reserved father had pulled her into a tight hug.

"That's the way, Kaoru," he said softly, and his only daughter couldn't help but smile in response to his praise.

Releasing her, his face relaxed into a more neutral expression, but the glint of pride in his eyes remained. "Now, can you tell me what happened in that fight?" he asked.

Kaoru considered her answer. This analysis was something her father was quite fond of, and he was always asking her questions about her observations, even when they were outside the dojo. She had never understood why until the image of the dancers had leapt unbidden into her thoughts at that critical moment.

"At the beginning," she started slowly, "I was confused, because you were attacking much more than usual. You also kept changing the pace. I got pretty frustrated because I didn't understand why, and I made a mistake by swinging too hard without thinking." She cringed a bit at the memory, but when her father voiced no further reprimand or observation, she continued, "I tried to calm down after that, but I couldn't hit you and it was aggravating me. Then… then I remembered the street performers we saw the other day, and how they danced like they were fighting. I remembered how the one spun behind the other, and… I thought it might work, so I tried it." Koshijiro chuckled, and Kaoru's face colored slightly.

_Why is he laughing at me? It worked, didn't it?_

"I'm glad to see you using your inventiveness Kaoru," he said soothingly, catching sight of her expression, "but you should be careful. Unless you can say for sure what the result will be, trying a new move in the heat of battle before you've practiced it is dangerous."

Kaoru's face fell. He was right, of course. If it hadn't worked, she would certainly be sporting a few more bruises than she was already. And if someone came at her with a real sword… she sighed.

Koshijiro's answering smile was gentle as they left the dojo and headed outside. "Nevertheless, it _did_ work. What would you like to name that move?"

Kaoru's eyes widened. To name a move was to give it a special place in one's style. It was usually the master's discretion to invent and name such things.

"Are… are you sure it's okay father?"

"Why not? It's a good move, and it works well as a response to that kind of attack. Of course, if you don't want me teaching the others, I'd understand." Koshijiro adopted a mock-serious face, and regarded her askance, raising an eyebrow.

"You mean, I can have my own _secret _technique?" Kaoru's usually large blue eyes might well have been dinner plates.

Her father shrugged, trying to hide his amusement by looking nonchalant, "If you'd like."

She frowned slightly, thinking. The performers were the source of the idea, perhaps she should use that somehow. But to call it "dance" or "circus" would be silly. What, then, about the performance would lend itself to a name? She thought back on the day, and was able to recall the details of the choreography, the way it was coordinated with the fire-eaters in the background... then it hit her, and she smiled. The female dancer had been wearing some kind of iridescent fabric which was almost sheer at the arms, giving the appearance of translucent wings.

"How about Tonbo?" she asked.

The elder Kamiya paused in thought for a moment. "Hmm… yes, I suppose that fits fairly well, now doesn't it? Tonbo it is." Kaoru caught sight of her father's mouth twitching upward again, even if he tried to hide it.

Kaoru nodded with an air of finality, or at least as much of one as someone so young could manage.

* * *

Koshijiro saw her smile, and the shadow that had settled over his heart was lifted, if only for a moment. Twelve years old, and his daughter was already showing the marks of a fine swordswoman. Still, he hoped he had been sufficiently firm in his warning. Creativity was good- he had invented half of his own style from the roots of the Hiten Mitsurugi, after all,- but not when exercised recklessly.

His mind was dragged down from his rush of pride when he caught a glance of someone at the gate. Two someones, as it appeared. His face hardened, and he spoke low and quickly.

"Kaoru, I want you to go polish the dojo floor. I'll be in to help you in a few minutes."

His daughter, normally ever so spirited in her avoidance of chores, followed his line of sight and swallowed whatever protest she might have made, turning silently in the direction from which they had come.

Koshijiro made his way over to the entrance to his property. As he had suspected, the two men were wearing the uniform of the Shinsengumi. The rebels were never so public or obvious in their advances, since the Shogunate's police force still had control here. He sighed inwardly. Would the efforts to draw him into this madness never end?

"Gentlemen," he spoke abruptly, with none of his usual politeness, reiterating for what seemed the hundredth time that he wanted no involvement with any of them.

"Ah, Kamiya-sensei," said the first one, smiling pleasantly. "Would you mind if we came in?"

Koshijiro's eyes narrowed, "Actually, I would rather you didn't. I have students arriving shortly, and I do not wish to delay their lessons."

The first man, one with a boyish face and an air that still reeked of naïveté, seemed rather put-off by his rude behavior, but recovered from it quickly enough. Not so soon, however, that his partner did not notice his discomfort. The second, slightly older man (though he could still have been no more than twenty-five) glared at Koshijiro with cold yellow-gold eyes.

"Look, Kamiya-_san_," he said, placing a disdainful emphasis on the suffix and lighting a cigarette, "despite your behavior, you're not a stupid man. We both know what will happen if you continue to resist this. Either the rebels will become afraid you're with us and kill you-" he took a slow drag- "or we'll start to think you're with them, and kill you. Now, if that's what you want, I could care less, but I do wonder what would happen to that little daughter of yours," he accompanied the flatly intoned implication with a slow exhale, smoke billowing into the air between them.

Koshijiro's bokken was at the smoking man's throat before he even finished his sentence. The master of the Kamiya Kasshin style allowed the full force of his ki to wash over the area, and the younger of the Shinsengumi flinched noticeably.

"Now, Shinsengumi-_kun,_" he pronounced each syllable slowly, suffusing them with scarcely-controlled rage, "I am not in the habit of killing. But, should you even speak of my daughter a second time, I will take great pains to ensure that you never lift a sword again, to harm her or anyone else. Get. Out." His expression remained impassive as the Shinsengumi blinked slowly, apparently unsurprised.

The man's eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, but if Koshijiro's suspicions were correct, the cat-eyed man was strong enough to know when he was outmatched, and he deliberately stepped away from the wooden sword, gesturing to his companion, eyes never leaving the dojo master.

"Don't just stand there, let's go." The stranger let his cigarette fall, grinding what remained into the ground pointedly, then turned away.

The younger man nodded, "Yes, Saito-sama!" Turning to Koshijiro, he bowed apologetically, "Sorry to bother you sir!"

Koshijiro heaved a sigh, and replaced his bokken at his waist. He didn't like threatening people any more than he enjoyed being threatened, but it seemed that little else kept the recruiters away these days. He doubted that an entire squad of the Shinsengumi could take him out if he was properly armed, but the trouble was, he used nothing but a wooden sword anymore. Unlike those troublesome hitokiri he heard spoken of with so much fear, he could not simply kill one opponent and move on to the next. He thought briefly of the sakabatou locked in a chest in his room, but he knew in his heart that it was not meant for him, that a bokken was now and would always be his only weapon. But if they knew about Kaoru… _Perhaps it would be best to develop her new abilities by sending her to other dojos nearby…_

But there was something he had to make sure he did first. She needed to be reminded of what the Kamiya Kasshin style was really about.

* * *

Kaoru took the walk home as slowly as possible. She'd spent the last month studying at a dojo on the other side of town, and she was beginning to think she'd learned all she could from the style taught there. The fact was, all the students at that place that were a match for her skills regularly used real katana, which made her own bokken seem foolish in comparison.

Still, she knew better than to take up a bladed weapon herself. Her father had impressed upon her many times the importance of remembering that swordsmanship was the art of protection, and betraying that ideal was betraying the very nature of everything she had learned. She thought, too, that it would be a betrayal of her father, though he never said so himself. It was this unthinkable implication (and her own stubbornness) that had kept her resolve steady even when she was being ridiculed by others for her code.

A real sword _would_ have made it easier to spar though. She sighed as she dragged her feet along the path that led back to her home. These days, she had double the chores, between the ones she performed as payment to the master of the other school and the ones she did for her own home. Like most children on summer days like this, all Kaoru wanted to do was take a nice nap in the sun…

The girl reached up and rubbed the back of her still-sweaty neck, running the fingers of her other hand through her shoulder-length hair to try and sort it into some semblance of neatness. Deciding it was good enough, she gave a small adjustment to her indigo ribbon and smiled. It was the one girly thing she had ever found she liked, and served a practical purpose, too, keeping her hair away from her face since it wasn't long enough to pull up. Though it was probably improper for a respectable young lady to wear her hair so short, she didn't much care, and her father was quite tolerant of her personal choices. Maybe one day she'd go back to wearing it long like her mother had, but for now it was easier this way.

_Aw, man._ Sluggish, humid afternoons like this also made her think too much about things she'd rather ignore. Her mother had died a few years after she was born from lingering complications of the birth, and though no one had said a word of blame to her, she still didn't like thinking about it. Kaoru didn't blame herself either, she just hated what her imagination did when she considered what it would be like to have a mother. It always made her feel as though she was missing something important, and that was a disservice to her father in Kaoru's mind.

The cicadas droned monotonously as she sped up for the last few blocks. Her father would likely be ending classes soon, and she wanted to talk to him before they began afternoon chores.

The gate was open, and she made a note to find out who had left it that way- _probably Shunsui_, _that idiot_- and give them a stern talking-to. She giggled as she imagined what his face would look like. Shunsui was actually thirteen, a year older than her, but she'd been kicking his butt since they were five, and he was a pretty meek personality anyway.

The laughter disappeared from her countenance, however, when she realized she could not hear the usual sounds of practice. Ordinarily, the shouts of combatants and the crack of wooden practice swords made it outside without any problem. Today, though, it was eerily quiet.

"Hello?" Kaoru called, stepping into the yard. "Father? Shunsui-kun? Hirakawa-sempai? Is anyone there?"

Alarmed at the complete lack of response, she took a few more hasty steps toward the dojo itself before she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes grew large and a strangled gasp escaped her mouth. A boy was lying on the grass in front of her home, surrounded by a crimson stain that spread outward from where he had fallen. There was a slash running the length of his back, and he lay on his face. Still, she'd recognize that mop of unruly brown hair anywhere.

"Shunsui!" She ran forward, collapsing at his side, turning him over, slapping the side of his face to try and bring him around. But it was useless; the glassy look to his once-warm eyes was enough to tell her that. _The others. Where are the others? Where is father?_

She felt the heated rush of panic in her limbs as she ran full-tilt for the dojo, passing the bodies of those who had tried to escape as she went, their faces all frozen in grotesque, terror-stricken parodies of their living selves. As she practically leaped into the building, her feet slid out from under her, and she came crashing to the ground.

_What the-?_ Her thought was cut off by pure horror when she realized that she was covered in blood. The entire dojo floor was slick with it.

She made her way more carefully now, eyes slowly filling with tears as the harsh reality of each body she passed added up in her mind. Shunsui, Hirakawa-senpai, Keigo, Hayate, Yoshi… all of them, dead.

It was with cold dread in the pit of her stomach that she finally allowed her eyes to reach the center of the room.

"No!" The harsh cry tore from Kaoru's mouth, rending the silence, then subsiding so that nothing could be heard save the sound of her sobs and ragged breathing.

With no concern left for the blood the was covered with, she knelt beside her father's body. Her knee brushed his arm, and she saw his eyelids flutter.

"Father?" she inquired softly, trying to hold back the tide of irrational hope that flooded her body.

"K…Kaoru?"

"Father! Hang on! I'll get you to Doctor Gensai, he can-" As she made to stand, Koshijiro gripped her arm weakly.

"No, Kaoru, I need you to listen to me."

"But father-" her voice was something between a sob and a strangled whisper.

"Please," he gasped. "I won't be able to make it much longer and you must listen!" The effort it took to raise his voice cost him dearly, and he dissolved into a coughing fit, causing blood to well out of his mouth.

Kaoru watched, mortified, as her father struggled to regain his breath. Her mind was telling her to run, get help, do _something, _but her body would not, could not, obey. And so she listened.

"In my room… in a trunk… is a sword. I want you to take it. It was meant for you, I think. I want you to take it, and run from here. Go to Doctor Gensai. Tell him you need to find… you need to find Hiko. He'll know what I mean."

"Father, what…" she struggled to form the question, but found it was beyond her at the moment.

"They… came. So many of them. They… used the students as hostages. I disarmed, hoping they would only want me, but…" he shuddered, the movement wracking his rapidly-weakening body. "Tell me, did the young ones escape?"

Kaoru swallowed. "Yes," she lied, fresh moisture welling in her eyes. It _hurt _to lie to him so, but…

Koshijiro smiled. "Good."

"Father-" she choked, "Who did this to you? Was it the revolutionaries? Or the government?"

Koshijiro shook his head with great effort. "Does it matter? There is no good reason to kill, Kaoru. Remember that, and promise me you won't seek vengeance. You must seek only peace. Promise me." He grasped her hand, and there was a desperation in his grip that scared her.

"I promise, father." Even as she uttered the words, she knew that there was a certain finality in them, and that no matter what, this was one promise she would keep for the rest of her life. She would not lie to him twice this day.

A weak smile settled on Koshijiro's face, as if he knew what she was thinking and was glad of it. "Thank you, Kaoru. Now, please, you must go. Find Doctor Gensai, and find Hiko."

"No," she whispered. "I won't leave you alone, father, I won't."

"That's my little girl," he whispered. "Stubborn as your mother. I'll say hello to her for you, shall I?"

There was a momentary silence. Then:

"I love you, Kaoru."

"I love you too, father," her voice broke, but she wouldn't break down. Not now, not in front of her father. She knew she had but a few more moments, and she wanted him to leave seeing her not as a weak child, but as his daughter, strong like he was.

Koshijiro closed his eyes then, smile still curving his mouth slightly, and Kaoru's posture slumped as she gave herself over completely to her grief. Great sobs wracked her small frame, and her tears were as the spring rains.

* * *

_Kiku's Corner:_

_Hello, again, everyone! Might I say that I was absolutely overwhelmed by the response to the first chapter of this story: 10 reviews! Yatta! _

_Anyway, thanks to everyone who read, alerted, favorited or reviewed. You've kept me really motivated to stick to my schedule for writing this. I shall make my best attempts to release a chapter every Friday, though the next two weeks may be a bit irregular, since I am going to be on a massive road trip with some friends. I have chapters 3 and 4 already written (sort of) though, so the main issue will be getting access to the interwebs. _

_I am going to try doing review responses here, but if it becomes too cumbersome later, I may switch to something else. So, without further ado:_

_Icefox: thanks a bunch! I'm glad you like it, and hopefully once a week is soon enough for you._

_JMai: The relationship between the two was one of the bigger AU bits about the story, and I was afraid people wouldn't like it, so I was glad to hear you did. Hope this chapter met your expectations with regards to Kaoru. (My brain goes to anime versions of historical figures a lot too. Especially Saito .)_

_Reitahomoeshi: Hehe, I've never heard the desire for an update phrased quite that way, but thank you._

_Syolen: Hope you like this one, too!_

_Yuki-chan: *blushes* your enthusiasm is welcomed, and appreciated._

_Pterion: I guess I didn't really think about it like that, but I think it makes some sense. Thanks for reading!_

_Torin: You're a beta, silly! That means you don't have to leave reviews. Not that I don't appreciate it. P.S. if you want to send along your edits for this chapter, I'll go back and make the changes. Normally, I would have waited for you, but since I'm leaving on that trip tomorrow…_

_Island Heart: Hmm… you're partially correct in your predictions. As for the rest, we shall see, ne? Feel free to keep guessing, though. I like seeing where people think it is going._

_Katato2013: Awesome. I hope you still like it, even though this chapter was a bit of a downer…_

_Bbzachariah: I'm not in the least offended by concrit. Quite the opposite, I like getting it because it makes me examine my writing more closely. I know my writing is raw; usually I only write academically, and I've been at this fanfiction thing for less than a year… So your input was most appreciated, and I tried to include more introspection this time. Hopefully, it has improved somewhat. As for the plot… I have it planned out already, and as far as I know, it's original. At least, it hasn't appeared in any other RK fic I've read. And yeah, my history is totally inaccurate; I actually know a decent amount about this time period (cause I'm a dork like that) so my manipulations are deliberate. If it starts to get ridiculous, I apologize. I hope this chapter was better than the last._

_~Kiku~_

_

* * *

_

_Japanese Dictionary:_

_Tonbo: Dragonfly_

_Bokken: a wooden sword, one that is actually shaped like a blade (Kaoru uses one in the anime/manga, different from the kind Yahiko uses._

_Shinsengumi: the "police force" of the Shogunate during the revolution. That's oversimplifying, but it's the basic idea._

_Honorific suffixes: This is actually kind of complicated, but basically, for the exchange between Saito, that random kid, and Koshijiro, the kid referred to Saito as "sama" which is a term of respect, a step or two above the standard "san." He also calls Koshijiro "sensei," which is the proper title for a dojo master, and is also above "san." This means that Saito was insulting Koshijiro by calling him "san." Koshijiro responded by calling him "Shinsengumi-kun," which, while not technically improper because of the difference in age, is less respectful than "san," which is what he would have used if he were being polite. Hiko and Koshijiro use first names without suffixes, implying a close friendship. Technically, a doctor like Gensai also gets the "sensei" suffix, but I chose to stick with doctor just because it's less confusing. Of course, interpretations vary, and the differences are sometimes subtle, but after about 2 years of Japanese, that's the handle I have on it._

_These authors' notes were far too long, so thanks if you read them all. If you didn't, I'm not even remotely offended. Next chapter: we get to meet Sano! And there's a scene with Hiko and Kenshin, yay!_


	3. Chapter 3: Endured

_A/N: I do not own RK or any of the characters. The plot is the result of Japanese History, the manga/anime, and my own (odd) imagination._

* * *

Chapter 3: Endured

_Death is better, a milder fate than tyranny. _

_Aeschylus _

* * *

"Watch it, gramps! That hurts!" the teenaged boy shouted.

Gensai sighed and finished applying the ointment anyway, bandaging the wound to prevent any further damage, or worse, infection. Luckily for the boy, he was young and strong; how he managed to sustain such injuries in the first place was something the good doctor would rather not know.

_So young… this boy couldn't be more than fifteen, and yet… I wonder where he came from._

Gensai wasn't exactly unused to strangers wandering into his clinic for emergency treatment; there was a war going on, after all. Despite this, it still shocked him to treat one so little removed from childhood.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he did not immediately register that his patient had ceased his loud grumbling and was now gawking silently at the door.

"H-hey, grandpa…" the youth swallowed.

Gensai flicked his eyes upward, and his hands immediately stopped moving.

"Kaoru-chan?" _This can't be…_

But he knew little Kaoru when he saw her. All the students at the Kamiya dojo had been through his clinic once or twice when they'd gotten a little too enthusiastic with training, but Kaoru and her father were regular social callers as well.

Yes, it was most certainly her, and yet… She was covered in so much blood that the smell alone was overpowering, never mind the sight of a child bathed in it. She stood dumbly in the doorway, eyes puffy and red from where she had clearly been sobbing for quite some time. The trails the tears had left on her cheeks were dry now, though, and the grief-stricken visage was gone, replaced by something so hard and world-weary he would have thought it better placed on a battle-toughened veteran. Her normally blue eyes were unnaturally bright, and a touch of silver glinted at the edge of the iris. In her hand was a katana encased in black lacquer with silver trimmings. It was almost as long as she was tall, and he would have found the sight incongruously humorous if the rest of her didn't seem to belong to it now.

He quickly tied off the boy's bandages and motioned for him to stand.

"Help me, would you, Sanosuke-kun?" Gensai took hold of one of Kaoru's arms, and gestured for the boy to take the other. Kaoru was clearly in shock, and she wasn't going to move on her own.

They maneuvered her into a sitting position, and Gensai began checking her over gently. None of the blood appeared to be hers, and after no more than a cursory glance, he was able to determine that she was uninjured. _No… she's beyond injured, it's just not the kind I can heal. _She still sat, unmoving, eyes staring off somewhere he could not see.

Without any other recourse but to wait for her to come around, he took a wet cloth and went to at least remove the spatters of blood that had reached her face. As his hand extended, however, he found it caught swiftly in a small, vice-like grasp.

"They killed him," she whispered, and Gensai could feel that her hand was trembling violently. "They killed them all." Her gaze came back into focus, and she locked eyes with him. He watched as the silver rim around her iris thinned, and then disappeared entirely.

Kaoru shuddered, then fainted dead away.

* * *

She awoke two mornings later, and was surprised to find that she was no longer in her bloody gi and hakama. Rather, she was wearing a sleeping yukata that was a tad too big for her. Most surprising, though, was that she was _clean._ Someone- Gensai's wife and nurse Mariko, she would guess- had bathed her.

She sat up quickly, and immediately regretted it when her blood pressure dropped sharply. As soon as the room stopped spinning, though, she was up and walking on unsteady feet, with only one thought in mind. _I have to find the man called Hiko._ Still, she was practical enough to realize that she would at least need to find something to wear first. Glancing about the room, she noticed a small kimono neatly folded beside the futon. Kaoru grimaced. It was light pink and had what appeared to be a pattern of white plum blossoms on it, but beggars couldn't be choosers, right? If getting out of here and finishing what she started meant she had to wear a kimono, well, she'd just have to grin and bear it.

A few minutes later, she was dressed. Mariko had left her ribbon, surprisingly unbloodied, beside the kimono, and Kaoru tucked it into the obi carefully before casting about the room, looking for her father's sword. To her dismay, she could not seem to see it anywhere. Deciding to just find Doctor Gensai and ask him where it was, she slid open the door to the room she was in and made her way out to the general living area.

A tall boy a few years older than her was reclined on the ground, lazily chewing what appeared to be the bones of a fish. She was a little surprised when he turned to greet her; she was sure she had made no sound.

He grinned, "Hey, little missy. Finally decided to wake up, huh? Gramps has been worried about ya." His tone was a bit too cheerful, Kaoru thought, as though it was masking something else.

If she had been her usual self that day, she might have taken him to task for calling her something like "little missy" but as it was she merely nodded absently, eyes flicking about the room.

"Where is he?" she asked in a flat voice.

"In the clinic. He said he'd be back in a bit, told me to have ya wait if ya woke up. Weird how doctors can sense that stuff, huh?" He tried smiling again, but it quickly faded when met with nothing but a blank stare.

"Yeah," Kaoru sat down a few feet away from the spiky-haired boy, leaning her back against the wall and closing her eyes.

There was silence for a few seconds, then: "Name's Sagara Sanosuke, by the way. You should call me Sano, though." The silence invited a response.

Kaoru cracked an eyelid, then both as she caught sight of his expectant expression.

"Kamiya Kaoru."

"Kaoru-chan… nah, I like little missy better," Sano decided, nodding to himself.

Kaoru's eyes narrowed, "Listen, you… rooster-head! What makes it okay for _you_ to decide what to call me?"

He snapped his mouth shut, breaking the fish bone in the process, "Rooster-head? You wanna say that again?" He seemed more surprised than angry though, perhaps because she had finally shown some reaction to anything he said.

Kaoru was about to retort, but the sight of half the fish skeleton falling out of his mouth was too much. Before she knew it, she had dissolved into a fit of giggles.

* * *

"Hey! Why are you laughing at me?" But this only caused her to laugh harder, and Sano could have sighed with relief. The quiet had been grating on his nerves. At least she was acting like a normal human being now. He'd heard what happened to her dad, and he sympathized. She was already on her way back to well if she was laughing.

Her thoughts seemed to move in the same direction as his, though, and her laughter subsided, leaving her with a rather morose expression.

"Little missy?" The rest of his question was cut off by the arrival of Doctor Gensai.

"Sanosuke-kun," the old man nodded at him, and Sano returned the gesture. Truthfully, he'd been planning on getting healed and then leaving, but Kaoru's arrival had prompted him to stay. Something about what had happened to her had struck a nerve in Sano, and so the doctor had let him stick around for the extra few days.

"Kaoru-chan," Gensai continued, "I see you're looking much better."

"Yes, thanks to you, doctor," the gratefulness was genuine, Sano guessed, but the lightness of her tone was all fake.

"Not at all, my dear, it was the least I could do for you. I am only sorry that I could not do more…" He trailed off, and Sano watched Kaoru's eyes fill with tears. She blinked them away, though, and continued in a steady voice.

"I need to find a man named Hiko. Father…" her tone wavered, "Father said you would know how to reach him."

The old man nodded, and Sano thought he didn't seem at all surprised by the information.

"I do indeed know how to find him, but I must insist that you stay here for a few more days. I will be able to take you to Kyoto then." Gensai made to head for the kitchen, but stopped when the girl spoke again.

Kaoru shook her head, "This isn't something that can wait. I have to do it now, or…"

Sano understood. When Captain Sagara had been killed, he had immediately hit the road, needing something to do, somewhere to be, that didn't remind him of the man he considered both mentor and parent. He'd gotten into a bunch of fights, and kind of drifted for a while, but he figured the missy would probably do better than him if she had someplace to go.

"Kaoru-chan, I understand your urgency, but I can't let you travel all that way alone," Gensai's voice was gentle as ever, but firm.

"I'll go," Sano spoke up, "Weren't those people ya wanted me to meet in Kyoto as well? Just draw us a map or something," he shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant. Really, though, he was itching to be moving again. Even Sano felt guilty about freeloading off someone like the old man for too long.

The doctor seemed unconvinced, and Sano rolled his eyes.

"Look at her, grandpa. Ya told her Kyoto, and ya know she'd leave anyway with only that to go on. I'm just takin' up space here anyway, and if ya really want me to see these Oniwaban guys, it makes sense."

Gensai thought it over, then offered a small smile, "Very well then. You know, Sanosuke-kun, you're actually quite mature for your age, when you want to be…"

"Yeah, whatever," Sano huffed, "Just draw us the map and let's get outta here."

* * *

Gensai watched them go with fear in his heart. He couldn't believe that he was allowing a twelve-year old and a fifteen-year-old to travel all the way to Kyoto on their own. He murmured an apology to the departed Koshijiro.

_Still, they should fare better together than apart._

He only hoped that they would not fall prey to the dangers of the road, or of the war.

* * *

Sano strode down the road with his hands in his pockets, occasionally stealing glances at his taciturn companion. She probably had to take two strides for every one of his, but not once had she complained or showed signs of lagging, which was saying something, since she was walking in a kimono, Gensai's wife having refused to allow her to don her still-bloody gi and hakama. So she had made do, strapping her sword to her back instead of wearing it at her waist.

Her silence was making him fidgety. From what he had seen that morning, Kaoru was naturally spirited, so this complete reticence was getting awkward. She didn't seem to notice or care, though, because his few attempts at conversation were met with monosyllabic answers. So, with a great sigh, he had resigned himself to a long, quiet, uncomfortable journey.

Just how far _was _Kyoto, anyway? A few days? A few weeks? Sano certainly hoped the latter wasn't the case. He pulled the old man's map out of his pocket and peered at it.

_Damn maps. _Sano was completely useless with directions, though he'd never say it aloud. He considered giving the map to Kaoru, but she didn't exactly look like she wanted to be interrupted. After a few minutes of staring fruitlessly at the paper, he shook his head and refolded it carefully. The doc had said all they really had to do was follow this road for most of the way, anyhow. He looked back over at the little missy, but her expression hadn't changed; she was still stony-faced and staring straight forward.

A wry smile crept onto his face. He had a feeling she'd just keep going until she collapsed, which meant he had to be the responsible one. He nearly laughed at the irony of it, but settled for an exaggerated stretch instead.

"Well, whaddya think, little missy? I think it's about time we set up camp for the night. Gotta get our rest, ya know?"

Kaoru didn't respond, and for a moment he thought she would just keep on going, but then she spoke.

"Okay. But where should we stop?"

Sano's grin widened. So it wasn't exactly a conversation, but it was a start.

"We probably oughta get away from this road." He thought he had found a nice spot, but he wanted her to speak, so he left the question up in the air.

"What about over there?" She pointed to the grove of trees he had noticed, and he felt a twinge of self-satisfaction.

"Looks good to me," Sano abruptly veered off the road, and Kaoru followed a little more cautiously, careful not to rip her kimono on any of the brambles that covered the ground.

"I'll stay up and keep watch first. When the moon's about there-" Sano indicated a point in the sky- "I'll wake you up for your turn, okay?"

At Kaoru's affirmative nod, Sano settled himself onto a fallen log and turned to face the road. The chances of anyone finding them here were pretty slim; they hadn't seen a single other person on the road all day. Even so, Sano knew better than to take a chance. If it had been just him, he might have risked sleeping, but the little missy was another case entirely. If Sanosuke had ever had a sister, he would have understood why. As it was, he accepted the seemingly natural protectiveness as a consequence of his promise to the old man to keep her safe.

* * *

"Sano. Sano, wake up. Sano!"

Sanosuke rolled over, mumbling something about it being too early, and tried to cover his head with his hands. Kaoru frowned and narrowed her eyes.

"Sano, if you don't get up right now, I'm going to kick you in the ribs again!"

The teenager's eyes flew open, and he was on his feet quicker than Kaoru would have thought possible. She smirked slightly; it seemed that had done the trick.

"Okay, okay! Jeez, little missy, you don't gotta be so violent."

"It got you up, didn't it?" He had no response. Shaking her head, Kaoru checked that her sword was settled into place, the strap that held it crossing her chest comfortably. A few weeks on the road with Sano had taught her the reason he always took first watch. If he had this much difficulty getting up with the sun on his face, it would have been nigh impossible in the dead of night when her watch started.

Stretching lazily, Sano made his way over to the road. One of the benefits of such a spartan camp was that it made getting back on the road an easy task. Kaoru threw some ash over the smoldering embers of last night's fire and trotted to catch up. He yawned as she approached, and she couldn't help but be reminded of an oversized housecat, chicken-head notwithstanding. Sano was head and shoulders taller than her and still growing, and at times he was amusingly all limbs.

He paused mid-yawn when he saw her smiling at him, and his face was just too funny. She snickered at him, then laughed aloud when his expression abruptly switched to one of exaggerated puzzlement. He laughed too, and pretty soon they were both left standing in the middle of the road, grinning like idiots.

"Well, shall we?" Kaoru asked, gesturing to the road, "Can't be more than a week now, right?"

"Er… sure," Sano hedged.

"Sano?" Her eyes narrowed suspiciously.

"What?" he tried to sound as casual as possible.

"Do you have any idea where we are?"

"Of course I do! We're on this big road to Kyoto!"

Kaoru sighed. _Is he serious?_ "Why don't you let me take a look at that map?"

Sano looked like he was about to protest, but she silenced him with a glare, and he sheepishly handed over the paper. Taking a look, Kaoru managed to estimate their location using a landmark they had passed the previous day.

"Okay," she said at last, "It looks like we follow this road for another day or so, and then head into the forest…" She folded up the map, ignoring the hand he held out to take it back and tucking it into her obi instead. This forced her to look down at the kimono, and she grimaced. Three weeks of road wear and a few harsh washings in small bodies of water had not been kind to the material, and it was scuffed and smudged in numerous places. Not that she herself was in much better shape. She really, really needed a good bath, and from the way Sano smelled, he needed one even worse.

"Let's go," she said firmly, heading down the road once more.

"You bet," he replied, sounding relieved.

Kaoru could sympathize. It seemed as though their arduous journey would soon be at an end, one way or another. She just hoped that this Hiko person was still where this map said he would be. Who lived out in the wilderness like that anyway? Sano, it seemed, would see her to her destination, then head into Kyoto proper to meet with some friends of Doctor Gensai.

A slight breeze kicked up, propelling dust from behind them, and Kaoru found her weary soul buoyed by the support.

_Father… I hope I can make you proud._

* * *

Almost four weeks later and some distance away, the master of the Hiten Mitsurugi style was showing his apprentice that there was a reason the caped man was still the teacher.

"That's enough for now," Hiko lowered his blunt practice sword and sheathed it with the ease born of true mastery. His pupil gave a shrug, and followed suit. "Go get cleaned up." He tossed his own practice sword at the boy, and walked off towards his house.

He reached his porch and sat, looking out onto the now-empty patch of grass that served as a practice field. His sharp mind replayed the match several times, and he frowned. He disliked the flecks of gold that appeared in the baka's eyes, marks of a shift in his ki, one that in this case indicated he was allowing his violence to rule him. Hiko himself had once struggled against that very same sensation, and he was stronger for his victory. Unless his apprentice could master himself, he would be unable to learn the final succession technique.

There was one other detail that was bothering him, for a very different reason. Ever since that day eleven years ago when he had last seen Koshijiro, he had been unable to correct the stance the boy used when stepping forward for an attack. It was interesting, actually: the slight adjustment in the left foot took some of the strength out of the rush, but allowed for swifter changes in direction. Hiko had tried it himself, to find that it was clearly a technique for a man of a smaller build than himself, and allowed the baka to take full advantage of his speed, which, while not superior to his master's at the moment, eventually would be.

_I wonder if that damn kohai of mine knew it. _Hiko remembered Koshijiro saying that he had "already won," and felt a wry smile creep onto his face. _Of course he would have known. _It figured that Koshijiro would have given the baka a modified technique, one that would prove an advantage when facing a slower, stronger opponent. It was exactly the type Kamiya himself would have used. _Interfering little…_ But Hiko's smile remained, and there was no malice in the thought.

"Hiko-sensei." Kenshin's presence, while not a surprise, was now forced to the forefront of his thoughts. Hiko realized the baka was expecting a rundown of the fight and all the things he had done wrong; such was the usual practice.

Instead, Hiko chose something else entirely. "The fighting's reaching the cities now," he stated bluntly. He watched with a projected disinterest as his apprentice's eyes flashed that gold color again.

"Fools," the boy ground out through gritted teeth. "Hiko-sensei, why don't we just go and stop them? You could. You could defeat any of them."

Hiko laughed mirthlessly. "And then where would we be, baka deshi? Everyone would still be dead. Swords are designed to kill, and kenjutsu is the art of murder. It doesn't bring peaceful resolutions."

"If you stopped the soldiers, than at least no innocents would have to die! Sure, we might have to kill, but we'd be creating a world where nobody would have to live in fear anymore!" Kenashin's face was turning red, and Hiko noted with no small irritation that the baka had changed his language to include himself.

"You're being an idealistic fool," he said flatly. This argument was an increasingly frequent one between them, and Hiko tired of it. "Killing is killing, and you should never kill for the sake of a cause."

"And why not?" Kenshin demanded, "Better than killing selfishly!"

"If I have to explain it to you, you'll never understand, baka!" Hiko raised his own voice to match, "Now go do five hundred sets to cool off. When you're ready to see reason again, I'll be here," he finished with words little more than a growl.

Kenshin glared, but huffed off anyway. Hiko stood and entered the house. No, his pupil was not going to learn the succession technique anytime soon. He had not raised the boy so he could be a tool for someone else. He feared it may be too late for that, but he certainly would sharpen the tool no further.

He was unsurprised, though disappointed, when the boy did not return that evening, or the next. On the third day, Hiko ventured into his student's room. Finding most of the baka's belongings gone, along with one of his own katanas, he swore under his breath.

_Baka deshi… what have you gone and done? Brainless moron._ His thoughts continued to run along this vein for some time, until he resolved that the boy would be back eventually anyway. He just hoped it would be under his own power, and not in a box.

* * *

Three-and-a-half weeks, Sano decided, was way too long to be on a road anywhere. Now that the little missy was in charge of the map, he felt a little more sure that they were on the right track, but he had begun to wonder if it would ever end. He was tired, he was sore, and he was _hungry. _With nothing but traveling rations to eat, he was pretty sure he'd lost what little excess weight he'd ever possessed.

Not that the amount of time that transpired was all for the worse. Kaoru seemed to be recovering from her trauma remarkably well, and she was making conversation as they walked now. Unless he missed his guess, having a goal was doing her some good.

Personally, he was feeling a little better, too. Sano found he was actually looking forward to reaching Kyoto and meeting these Oniwaban people, and seeing what they were really all about. He'd heard the rumors of course: whispers of some shadow organization that was trying to stop the war. They weren't having much luck yet, but Sano was the kind of guy who liked to think that a few extra hands might make a difference, and he wasn't reluctant to be one of those pairs of hands if that's what was called for. Anything to stop more stories like Captain Sagara and Kaoru's old man.

His train of thought was broken when he spotted figures in the distance. They had passed a few groups of people on their way, even a solitary traveler here and there, but this group had a different sense about them than mobile merchants or refugees. Sano could read ki to some degree, and these guys were definitely fighters. Probably not soldiers, though, as they weren't dressed in any uniform he recognized.

"Careful," he whispered to Kaoru, "These guys look like trouble." The girl next to him just nodded, blue eyes wide.

The two groups met on the road, and Sano made to pass to the side without making eye contact. It appeared it wouldn't be that easy, though.

"Oh, what have we got 'ere?" The man's breath smelled of sake, his clothes of blood. "Two little kids out on the road all by 'emselves."

"Look, man," Sano said, holding his hands up in front of him, "Me and my sis here don't want any trouble."

The man guffawed, and elbowed one of his companions. "He don' want any trouble, he says. Guess he don't know who he's dealing with, do 'e?" The other men laughed.

Sano didn't like where this was going. He tightened the bindings about his hands as Kaoru spoke.

"Please, sir, my brother and I don't have any money, or anything else to give you. We're just on our way to meet our uncle." Sano had to hand it to her, her voice didn't shake in the slightest as she lied; making it seem as though someone was expecting them was a smart move too, though he doubted it'd be any use with these guys.

"No money, eh? Well, don' you worry about that, wench. There's plenty to be got fer a pretty little girly like you. An' yer brother here looks plenty strong. Yeah, there'll be lotsa money fer us at the end of this, eh boys?"

That did it for Sano. "Like Hell, you bastards!" He shouted, catching the nearest one in the jaw with his fist. No way he was going to let them get sold off on some underground slave market. Ordinarily, he would have doubted his chances, but these guys seemed pretty drunk, which gave him an advantage, even if there were five of them.

Of course, that was when he realized that three of them had swords. Sano hated swords; he'd never been any good with one himself, and while he could defend against them, it was substantially more difficult for someone armed only with his fists to take out a guy with a katana.

He had successfully dodged the first two swipes they took at him, but he seemed to have lost track of the third guy.

"Sano!" The cry was accompanied with a sound of steel meeting steel, and he turned to see Kaoru swiftly disengage the third swordsman and deliver a devastating blow to his collarbone. He was unable to see the result, however, because a fist caught him in the stomach. Resisting the urge to double over, he backed up to where Kaoru was standing over the body of her opponent. That, and the guy he had taken down initially, left three of them, two armed, including the leader.

He glanced sideways at Kaoru. He had no way of knowing if she was any good with that sword or if her blow had been pure luck. He decided that the latter was unlikely, since her dad was a dojo master. He didn't know if she had learned her father's style or not, but decided to trust that no decent man would leave his kid completely defenseless while he taught others to fight.

"I'll take the flunkies if you want the loudmouth," he muttered so only she could hear. He saw her nod out of the corner of his eye, and dashed forward, attempting to cause a distraction.

He was partially successful, managing to lay out the unarmed man on his way over. His swordsman friend was slightly more cautious, though, and guarded against Sano's attack. He heard the leader grunt as Kaoru managed to hit him somewhere, and a grin broke out on his face.

His opponent took advantage of his momentary distraction and swung his katana. Sano was able to dodge, but the movement left him vulnerable to the inevitable follow-up. He braced for it, but rather than strike again, the man slumped forward and fell to the ground, revealing a determined Kaoru standing behind him, blue eyes flashing silver. He thought there was something weird happening with her ki, too, but before he had a chance to check again, it was gone, and her eyes had reverted to their normal color.

"Thanks," he managed.

She smiled, "No problem. You'd better watch your technique, though, you leave yourself open a lot," she suggested, barbing him a little with a grin and a know-it-all tone.

For once, Sano ignored the bait, and simply shrugged, "That's just the way I fight, ya know?" Captain Sagara had tried with little success to temper the aggressiveness of Sano's style, so he was used to hearing this.

Kaoru regarded him carefully. "I suppose it works, in it's own way. Just don't get yourself killed, eh _brother_?" She placed a teasing emphasis on the last word, reminding him of the cover story he'd made up.

He laughed, "Yeah, sure. By the way, did your old man teach you that stuff? You took those guys out like a pro." Granted, they'd been drunk and none too skilled, but Sano was still impressed. He realized the mistake he'd made in referring to her father a little too late, but to his surprise, her smile did not fade.

"Yes, he taught me how to fight, but I didn't 'take anyone out.' My sword school doesn't believe in killing, but protecting people."

"But, you use a katana…" Sano trailed off and looked down at the bodies. Sure enough, they were all out cold, but she had done no more damage than he had, and the only blood anywhere was pouring out of one guy's broken nose and the small cut Sano had sustained from one of the swordsmen.

Kaoru drew her sword by way of explanation, and Sano was surprised to see that the blade was on the wrong side. "What the…?"

"It's a sakabatou," she explained, "The blade can be flipped if I really need to slice something, but the right way to wield it is like this."

"Huh. A sword that doesn't kill people. That's an interesting theory you got there," Sano was interested, but decided not to press on the point too much for fear of saying something that would send her back to memories of stuff she didn't want to think about.

It was Kaoru's turn to shrug, "It's the way my father taught me." The pride in her voice was evident, and Sano was reminded of how the Captain's men (himself included) spoke of their leader.

"Well, I guess we'd better get a move on. I don't suppose these guys have any money?"

"Sano! We are not going to steal from them!" Kaoru managed to sound shocked, offended, and slightly angry.

"Relax, little missy, I was joking!"

"And don't call me little missy, you rooster-head!"

"Not that again!"

A few minutes later, there appeared to be a clearing in the trees they were passing through. Before they could get any further though, Kaoru came to a halt. Sano watched her warily for a moment, then stopped himself when he felt a tumultuous ki. His senses for these kind of things were pretty good, and he prided himself on being able to tell if someone was aggressive or not. This particular ki seemed about as angry as they came.

A redheaded boy about Sano's age entered his field of vision, and he tensed. This was most definitely the source. In another time, Sano might have been surprised that someone his age possessed such an intimidating spirit, but he reminded himself that he and the missy too were both tougher than your average adult. Still, this was not a guy he wanted to miss with.

The missy and the stranger seemed to have locked eyes, and Sano felt curiously left out of something. Then Kaoru blinked, and started walking forward again. The redhead's eyes narrowed, but he, too, resumed moving in the opposite direction. Sano thought of asking him what the Hell he was doing out here, but something told him that would not be the best of ideas. The little missy didn't seem too concerned with his presence, anyway, and Sano was rapidly learning to trust her instincts as well as his own.

Even so, something about the guy unsettled him, and he couldn't resist giving him a glare as he passed by. The answering purple one was fierce, but Sano didn't look away until they were some distance past each other and he was sure the other teenager wasn't going to attack.

"What gives with that guy?" he inquired, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. His friend only shook her head and kept walking.

* * *

_Kiku's Corner_

_Hello, again, dear readers! I hope you enjoyed Chapter 3 of _Silver. _By the way, I'm also taking submissions for alternative story names, since this was never more than a working title. _

_I'm on the road at the moment, and Beth/Torin have yet to contact me with edits, but as annoyingly punctual as I like to be, I decided to publish this chapter un-beta'd rather than late. Hopefully, I'll be able to put the edits in within the next couple days, but this was the only time today I'll have access to the internet. So if you find any grammatical and/or spelling stuff, I hope you'll forgive me._

_Thanks to everyone who's reading; you guys make writing this story worth it. Thanks even more to the reviewers, who make my day when I open the little emails._

_My Betas rock as well, just so you know._

_~Kiku~_

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_Review responses:_

_JMai- Your review made me smile. I'm glad to know that you like the character portrayal. I'm especially worried about Hiko and Kenshin, so you'll have to let me know how I'm doing on those as the story keeps going. And I got really sad writing the part about Koshijiro dying, and I hope I made it enough of an impact on Kaoru to be realistic. It's morbid, but I tried thinking about what I would do in that situation, then sort of adjusting for her personality. Anyway, thanks again!_

_Pterion- Thank you so much! I'm glad that chapter 2 was better than chapter 1. Continual improvement is a personal goal of mine. Hope you liked this one too, and Kaoru and Hiko meet in the next chapter, so be looking for that, ne?_

_Ilys: Wow, I'm flattered. I wish I got that many reviews. Well, not quite that many; I love being able to respond to them all. Updates should be every Friday, hope you continue to enjoy!_


	4. Chapter 4: Departed

_A/N: This is the last time I will say this, for surely you all know it by now: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin or any of the characters therein. This fiction is just that, and it is certainly not for profit. If by some bizarre circumstance, you are being charged to read this, you have been duped, scammed, robbed, and had the wool pulled over your eyes._

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Chapter 4: Departed

_And the battle's just begun,_

_There's many lost, but tell me who has won?_

_The trench is dug within our hearts,_

_And mothers, children, brothers, sisters,_

_Torn apart_

_-U2, _Sunday, Bloody Sunday

* * *

Hiko towered over his uninvited visitors, but the children did not cower in fear or flinch away from him. The older one, the boy, stared back at him warily like some kind of caged animal, and the swordsmaster caught his eyes flicking around the area, probably looking for escape routes. _The world has trained this boy, not a dojo, _he thought.

The girl was a study in contradictions. She looked at him with the largest, bluest eyes he had ever seen, and yet that was where the world "childish" ceased to describe carried a sword at her back, and a well-made one, too, unless he missed his guess. It was juxtaposed almost comically with her worn though nearly sickeningly feminine kimono, and though she stood straight and with the easy grace of a trained fighter, there was poorly-masked hesitation about her ki.

Hiko had seen a lot of strange things in his life, but this pair was definitely competing for top act.

"What are you doing here?" he repeated with no small amount of force. The last thing he needed right now was to deal with people. He disliked strangers generally, and he wasn't feeling particularly generous given that his last human interaction had been with that idiot.

"Are you Hiko Seijiro-sama?" the girl asked evenly for the second time.

Hiko sighed. It appeared he wasn't going to get his answer before she got hers. "Yes. Now, what do you want?" he snapped impatiently.

The brusque answer seemed to produce some relief in the two, which was strange enough. Even more oddly, though, the girl seemed put-off by his rather simple question, and fumbled for her answer as though she hadn't really thought about it.

"My… my father told me to come here."

At this, Hiko took a closer look. She did not flinch at his scrutiny, but rather gathered herself up to her full height (which wasn't terribly impressive) and refused to look away. _Hn… the eyes are different, but… there's no mistaking it._

"Let me see your sword," he said after a pause.

She hesitated briefly, then took the sheath from her back and drew the blade. Rather than handing it to him, though, she held it sideways so that he might examine it.

Hiko fought back the smile that was threatening. _She's canny, this one._ Nevertheless, he was troubled. The sword confirmed what he had initially thought, and a frown creased his face. If she was here, Koshijiro no longer walked this earth.

Hiko felt a weight settle over his shoulders, and he gestured at the girl to sheath the weapon. He pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers and had to stop himself from sighing heavily. _So, the bastards got him after all._

Neither of the children interrupted his thoughts, perhaps realizing that their arrival had given him unpleasant things to think about. The boy wandered off a short distance, but he was careful to keep a watch on the girl even as he surveyed what had initially looked like little more than a clearing in the forest, but was actually quite the expansive area, large enough to accommodate Hiko's two-bedroom house and a practice field.

Koshijiro's daughter, for her part, stood still and appeared to be waiting expectantly for confirmation that he knew what to do. _The trouble, _Hiko thought, _is that I have no idea. _While he intended to keep his word to Koshijiro and act as the girl's godfather, he wasn't sure he was fully prepared for what that meant. A student was one thing, but a godchild… _does it really have to be that different? Perhaps… I need to make sure of some things first._

He straightened abruptly, causing the girl to startle and look at him with a slight furrow to her brows and confusion written on her soft, youthful face. The same motion brought the boy back to her side, instantly alert should the situation turn hostile. Hiko almost laughed, but decided that such a thing would not do given the image he was projecting here.

"Did your father give you that, or did you steal it?" he inquired pointedly, trying to get a rise out of her.

It seemed to have worked, as her eyes narrowed and her mouth pursed before she answered. "Of course he gave it to me," she stated primly, clearly taking offense at the implication that she was a thief.

"And do you know how to use it?" Hiko had a feeling he knew the answer, but something was bothering him. Koshijiro probably wouldn't have taught his child how to fight using a sword as fine as this one.

The girl seemed to hesitate, "A little," she hedged, "we practiced only with bokken. This… he told me where to find it when he…"

Hiko nodded, cutting her off. The last thing he needed was a teary twelve-year-old. To his surprise, though, she merely stopped talking and blinked a few times. When she looked back at him, her eyes were clear.

Hiko knew what he had to do at this point. The problem was, the rational side of him continued to protest. He had no idea if the girl was skilled at all, or if she was a coward or bent on revenge or something likewise unsavory.

"Hey mister," the boy put in, "she's serious about it. You'll see." The disheveled youth appeared to be staring through him, and Hiko recognized that the kid was reading his ki, if amateurishly. _These two are just full of surprises, aren't they? _He asked the question to himself sarcastically, but it was quite true. He decided to take the boy's word for it, at least for now.

"Fine, you can stay the night. I'll decide what to do with you in the morning." The two exchanged relieved smiles, and some of the tension in the air seemed to dissolve as they headed towards his home. "You, girl," he called after her.

She stopped, and turned to face him. "Kaoru," she said.

"What?"

"My name is Kamiya Kaoru, and he's Sagara Sanosuke," her tone held no note of apology; apparently, she was bolder than he had initially estimated. _Good. I have no desire to teach a mouse._

"Fine, Kaoru-kun, whatever. Tell me something: what is a sword for?" Hiko phrased the question carefully; it was of the utmost importance. Never again would he teach someone who would take his lessons and slaughter with them.

Her expression softened, and he was surprised to see a small smile bloom on her face even as her eyes took on a slightly faraway cast.

"A sword is to protect people," she replied softly, but firmly. "To help those who can't help themselves."

"Your father teach you that, too?" he asked, perhaps more sharply than he had intended. He wasn't without sympathy, and she was probably still grieving.

She seemed to return to the present, and her mouth took on a stubborn set when she spoke. "Yes, he did, and he was right. I promised him that I would never forget it."

Hiko allowed himself a smirk then. Inwardly, the answer pleased him. He personally could never believe such a thing, but had come to understand that those who could were important, more important that people with nothing but a strong sword arm like himself.

"If you ever stop believing that, I'll stop teaching you," he said simply, and swept past her to the doors of his house, not without catching the spark that lit in her eyes as she understood the implications of the statement. "I'm short an apprentice anyway," he muttered darkly.

In the few moments before she entered the building behind him, he caught the boy's attention, "Am I teaching you, too, then?" Truthfully, he had a feeling that it wasn't a good idea. The youth –Sanosuke- didn't seem like the type who had enough patience or discipline to do well with his style, though he might one day have the build for it.

"Nah," Sanosuke responded simply, "I'm just here to make sure the little missy gets where she's goin'. After that, I'm off to Kyoto."

"Sano?" It seemed that Kaoru had heard the last bit, and her expression was somewhat downcast.

"Hey, hey, little missy. Don't worry too much. I'll be back to visit before ya know it." The look on his face was enough to convince Hiko that he spoke the truth. It certainly put Kaoru at ease.

Still, the sword master was suspicious. "What business do you have in Kyoto?"

"I'm lookin' for somethin' to do with my life, and the old man suggested some people called the Oniwaban," Sano shrugged carelessly.

Hiko frowned slightly. Not just anyone knew about the Oniwaban, which meant that this boy had probably received his information from one of their contacts in Edo. The only one he knew of was Gensai, but he supposed that made as much sense as anything else. They'd keep the kid out of trouble until he could handle himself. Hiko wasn't much for any involvement in politics or war, but he understood that as far as that sort of thing went you couldn't do any better than the Oniwabanshu, who seemed disinclined to violence and professed to be anti-war.

"Hn. If you see Okina, pass on my regards." Hiko knew that such a message would be enough to get the kid in the door, even if Gensai's name wasn't.

Sano nodded with a careless ease. "Sure."

"I don't care when you kids go to bed, but you-" he turned his gaze to Kaoru- "are going to be up early tomorrow. I'm not your father, so I don't care if I run you to the ground. You'd better be prepared. And you-" Sano fell under his stare- "need to be gone by lunch."

He didn't bother to wait for their replies, trusting that they'd find some food in his kitchen and take care of themselves. For his part, Hiko withdrew to his room, closing the sliding door behind him with an air of finality. Once there, he swiftly crossed the woven tatami floor and crouched next to a worn chest, lifting the heavy lid as though it weighed almost nothing. He knew exactly what was inside, of course, he had just never felt the need to think about it. Before him lay a finely-made sword, so similar to the one Koshijiro's daughter carried, and three scrolls, slightly yellowed with age, but otherwise holding up well.

He grasped at the hilt of the sword, then set it back down gently. This wasn't the time. Not yet. Hiko rocked back on his heels and narrowed his eyes unconsciously as he thought. _I doubt she's ready for the succession techniques yet, and I don't know Koshijiro's style. Still, most of the mid-level stuff is pretty similar… I guess I have no choice. I'll teach her what her father learned, and see what she does with it._

With that thought firmly in mind, Hiko closed the lid to the chest and rose from his crouch, sighing heavily. No kids to put the façade on for at the moment, and that was the way he needed it. He grabbed the bottle of sake laying on the table next to his futon and began downing it even as he sat.

_That damn kohai of mine. He knew this was going to happen, didn't he? Idiot was always one step ahead. Problem was, he'd stop and help ya, so it never did him a lot of good. _Another swig. _And now he's gone and abandoned his damn responsibilities and stuck me with 'em, just like when he left the dojo. _Hiko's slowly-fuzzing mind ignored the part where only one student could learn the Hiten-Mitsurugi's final technique, and Koshijiro had only left when Hiko had been chosen.

_Fuck it, Koshijiro, why'd you have to go and die? _His internal rant continued along these lines for some time, until the alcohol took enough of a grip on his brain that his anger mellowed out somewhat, replaced by a comforting numbness. He was vaguely aware that if he was starting to use sake for this purpose, he probably ought to stop drinking it, but the rather contented part of him- becoming larger by the moment- argued that it would only be this once, and that was good enough for now. If he had a killer headache tomorrow morning, well, consequences were there to remind you for a reason.

He raised the bottle into the empty air, "I know you don't like it, so I'm drinking yours for you, you damn idealist."

* * *

Kaoru was awake before the first rays of dawn sunlight had the chance to stream in through her window. If her first years training under her father had made her an early riser, four with Hiko-sensei had made her a true morning person. There was just no other way to survive waking up at five every day but to learn to enjoy it.

And so enjoy it she did. The predawn hours were still, and Kaoru learned to listen for the sounds of the world waking up around her, the nocturnal guardians of the forest turning over their watch to the newly-rested daylight animals even as the sun began the process of illuminating the sky once more. Most days, she would watch for a time, hand unconsciously moving to the ribbon tucked safely inside her gi, and reflect. At first, the peace of the world around her was almost enough to drive her mad; it gave her far too much time to think. Now, though, she was able to remember her father and the dojo students with a smile rather than tears, and it was this small moment every day that made her able to endure sensei's training with her characteristic spirit.

It was when the first tinge of pinkness reached the horizon that she began her morning katas. She would flow smoothly through endless repetitions of forms and movements for about another hour before Hiko-sensei would join her, performing his own morning techniques a few yards away. At first, the quiet of these early moments had been frequently shattered when he had yelled at her to change this or that, to correct her form. Nowadays, though, both were mostly silent, and Kaoru often smiled at the odd sense of peace that overcame her at times like this.

After that, she and sensei would progress to meditation and ki reading, something that challenged Kaoru. She had no natural talent for it, and so was doubly happy when she found that she was making progress. It still wasn't as easy for her as it was for battle-hardened people like Sano, but she could feel the subtle shifting that allowed her to predict attacks. Beyond the first strike, a fight was mostly instinct anyway.

Ki training was followed by lunch, which Hiko-sensei cooked, since Kaoru was hopeless with anything that involved cooking with heat, though her sushi was marvelous, provided someone else made the rice for it. Of course, this was a subject of endless complaining on Hiko-sensei's part. He had tried to teach her to cook, to simply no avail. After she'd nearly caught his house on fire two years ago, he'd given up and set her to work slicing things, and cleaning the kitchen when their meals concluded. When she had first arrived, she had been somewhat intimidated by her teacher, and neither had spoken much. After a while, though, she had started to talk more, and he had mostly just listened. These days, the two were equal partners in the conversation, though they chose to avoid certain topics (mostly martial philosophy) because of mutual stubbornness. He still brought it up occasionally though, probably to make sure she was keeping up her end of the bargain they had made when they met.

Sparring followed lunch and a study session; Hiko-sensei insisted Kaoru learn as much about history (among other subjects) as she could. As much as she loved everything else, her bouts with her master were by far her favorite part of the day. Hiko was a harsh teacher, and any mistake was punished by a new bruise, but she could feel her strength and speed increasing by the day even now, this many years later. When Hiko-sensei had discovered her father's analysis training, he had put her to work on that, too, both after and outside of battles. The result was a great deal of information about the forest, which Kaoru was sure was mostly useless.

She paused thoughtfully mid-kata. Speaking of forests, the clearing was still quiet, which was a bit odd. Usually, at least a few birds had started up by this time.

Sheathing her sakabatou, she felt around for any ki, and detected two, both very familiar, but only one in the forest.

"Sano," she spoke just loudly enough for him to hear, "I know you're there."

"Hehe, you got me missy." Kaoru could not remember when he had dropped the "little" from his favorite nickname for her, but it seemed that she was just "missy" these days.

She sighed in mock frustration at the name she pretended to hate and turned to face him. "And just where do you think _you've _been for the past six months, you lousy, good-for-nothing chicken-head?"

"Watch it, missy! I'll have you know, I've been doing some pretty important stuff."

Kaoru smirked, "Oh really? Those Oniwaban guys actually get things done, do they?" she teased lightly.

"Hey, don't judge it till you've tried it," Sano's tone was serious, and Kaoru sobered as well, the smile fading from her face. She looked at him carefully. Though he still acted like a kid sometimes, he really had matured over the last few years, progressing from gangly, flighty boy to a self-assured young man. He had retained his temper and his general careless attitude, though there were times when Kaoru caught him staring off into space and frowning, as though remembering something he'd rather not talk about. She never pressed the point.

Her eyebrows furrowed, and Sano took notice. "Missy? You okay there?"

Kaoru decided it was useless to worry too much. Sano could handle himself, after all, and it wasn't like she was his mother or anything. So she smiled, settling back into the role of younger sister. "Of course. I was just trying to figure out how any respectable organization would hire a thug like you, Sano."

His angry retort was interrupted by the emergence of Hiko, who nodded briefly to Sano before focusing his attention on his student. Sano seemed slightly surprised, moving away and sitting on the ground just beside the practice field with a slightly put-off expression. _Odd, _Kaoru remarked inwardly. Usually, Sano's infrequent visits were cause for conversation and updates on the war, and they were certainly never ignored.

"Do you know what today is?" Hiko asked her in his usual brisk manner.

Kaoru put her other thoughts aside and considered it. It was nobody's birthday, of that she was certain.

"It's been exactly four years since you came here," he provided, choosing to answer his own question.

"Has it?" Kaoru was slightly confused. He had never mentioned this day in any previous year, so why now?

She was abruptly shaken from her thoughts as Hiko drew his blade. It wasn't his usual one, though, but something more ornate, encased in black with gold chasings on the hilt in a design that her own sword mirrored in silver. She was going to inquire of it, but instead found herself struggling to dodge a strike that seemed to come out of nowhere.

Rapidly recovering, she jumped back far enough to get clear and place her hand on the hilt of her own sword. Battojutsu wasn't her strongest suit, being an aggressive discipline used only sparingly in the Kamiya Kasshin style, but Hiko-sensei had taught her a great many forms of it, and it never hurt to be able to make the act of drawing offensive in itself.

Kaoru didn't understand why Hiko-sensei had chosen this moment to come at her, but she decided not to question it. Applying her speed, she rushed forward, drawing from her hip in one of the more advanced battojutsu she knew, slashing at her opponent's chest.

Hiko evaded easily, and moved to strike her left side. Kaoru's style wasn't defensive for nothing, though, and she was easily prepared to meet it. His strength was far superior to hers, so she wasted no time in struggling with swords locked, since it would only deplete her stamina faster. Instead, she angled her sword and let his own momentum carry the blades apart, kicking at his abdomen while her arms were thus engaged.

It was an unconventional hit, and risky, since it could throw her off-balance, but she used her speed to adjust to it, flowing naturally from the blow meant to surprise into ones meant to do real damage. Hiko recovered quickly enough to block them, but there was a small smile on his face, one that she knew he got when she had done something right. _All right then, time to show him what I've got! _

* * *

Hiko watched his godchild fall into the rhythm of the fight with ease and smiled. That last set of moves had been nearly flawless. He was increasingly reminded of Koshijiro every time he fought her, and the thought filled him with pride. This feeling was what he had struggled for with Kenshin, but… _if only I'd had a little more time…_ Hiko knew that Kenshin was the Hiko to Kaoru's Koshijiro as surely as he knew anything, and yet, it seemed that circumstance had made the realization of that vision impossible. _Unless he returns to learn the succession techniques, the Hiten Mitsurugi will die with me. _Hiko knew that even if he were to personally seek out his baka deshi, nothing would change. Either he would fail entirely to convince the boy to return, or the fool would challenge him to a fight. As master of the style they both practiced, he'd be obligated to accept, and Kenshin would die.

Hiko had no doubt that Kenshin would outdo him eventually given the right circumstances, but without the succession techniques, that wasn't going to happen. _No, approaching him isn't the solution, but what…?_

He was rewarded for his distraction from the fight by a blow to the knees, which promptly brought him back to reality. _How'd she…? _

And then the answer hit him full in the face. It was just strange enough to be possible. But there was something that needed to be confirmed first. He switched his focus to the battle entirely.

He'd discovered early on that Kaoru, like Kenshin, himself, and a few other examples of the more powerful samurai out there, possessed an altered ki state. Such states can be triggered by many different things, dependant entirely upon the person, but all had the same result: giving the person in question the ability to reach supernatural speeds and strength. Degrees of mastery varied, however. Hiko himself was in this state all the time, and as such, it failed to even change the color of his eyes anymore. Such a thing required extensive discipline, something that people like his baka deshi did not possess. Of course, it was made all the more difficult by the fact that Kenshin's trigger, the easiest way for him to access this power, was anger. Koshijiro's daughter, though, her trigger was something entirely different, and her control seemed to remain intact on the few occasions he had seen it happen. But he had to be sure.

"Is this all you have?" he taunted, dodging her blows using his superior speed. Her response was merely to increase her own pace to match his, and his taunt did not seem to reach her. _Figures… ah, I know._

"How will you ever protect anyone if you're so slow?" the barb hit home, and they both knew it. He saw her eyes flash, but then they settled. _Just a bit more…_

"I guess your old man really was wrong. I knew it. I always told him that a sword is nothing more than a tool for killing. Kenjutsu is the art of-" _Finally._

She leaped forward at him, and he observed with satisfaction that her once-blue irises were now an unnaturally bright silver. _Now we see if she can control herself._

The clash of blades became more rapid, and Hiko found that he could not spare too much time for excess thinking. His instincts and strength were still a cut above hers (the latter always would be, given their relative sizes) but her speed was a close match already, which surprised him somewhat, and she still seemed to be in control.

It was when he dodged a blade only to narrowly miss being hit in the side of the head with the sheath that he decided to end it. _Where does she come up with this stuff? _It wasn't as though the move was completely unorthodox, it just didn't fit too smoothly into any sequence he could think of. Usually, only the inexperienced thought of battles as move-by-move; veterans knew that any choice was going to have consequences down the line and so chose patterns that fit well with each other. Kaoru seemed to capitalize on the assumption and find ways to integrate the unusual with the expected.

Still, impressive as it was, there was a reason Hiko was the master, and she the student. He flowed into a more advanced set of moves and watched as she slowly succumbed to the fatigue that built up from blocking blows that descended upon her like hail. Her style was at its core defensive, though, so she lasted quite some time before she couldn't continue.

Hiko carefully turned his last blow as she made the sign for surrender, and sheathed the blade smoothly. Kaoru did the same, and bent at the waist with hands on her knees, trying to regain her breath. He allowed himself to smile, and her answering one was radiant; she knew he had held back less than usual, and was grateful for it.

Reaching into his gi, Hiko pulled out one of the scrolls he kept in his trunk. _I think it might just work. _

"You're ready to have this now." As Kaoru accepted the thing with a look of confusion, he elaborated, "Your father left it in my care long ago. It is the first of his three succession techniques. You'll get the others when you come back. Oh, and-" he held out the sakabatou he had used- "keep an eye on this for me, too, would you?"

Kaoru shook her head. "Wait, what-"

"If you see my baka deshi, tell him I'm still waiting." Hiko walked straight past her to where Sano was sitting, and looked the young man in the eye until his meaning was clear. _She's under your care again now. If there's even one scratch on her when she comes back… _A raised eyebrow covered the rest. He knew, of course, that the kid couldn't hear his thoughts, but had a feeling that his meaning was clear enough.

Sano's answering glare was sullen. _As if I'd let anything happen to the missy. _

Hiko nodded, sure that he was understood, and passed the remaining couple yards to his home in silence, ignoring Kaoru as she called something after him. It was a bit more difficult than he had anticipated not to offer some explanation, but he knew it would only complicate things. His goddaughter needed to find her own path, and if his idea was to come to any sort of fruition, she couldn't know of it. Still, as he entered the house and listened to her ensuing fit, he could not help but smile ruefully.

_Damn, I'm getting soft. _There was a bottle of sake in the kitchen, and he was going to need it today.

* * *

Kaoru was thoroughly perplexed. "Wait!" she called, but Hiko ignored her. "You want to explain what's going on, you dumb jerk?!"

Sano's laughter caught her attention. "Oh yeah? What's so funny, Sano?" Kaoru carefully slid the second sakabatou into her obi and the scroll into her gi before pivoting, hands on hips, to face her friend.

His face immediately straightened. "Nothing's wrong, you're just funny when you're mad."

"I suppose _you _know what's going on then?"

"Well, yeah. Guy's decided he's done teaching you. You've been kicked out."

"What?!" Kaoru glared at the house, hoping Hiko would feel it and go bald or something.

"Well, think about it. He just gave you the succession scroll or whatever, he must want you to go out into the world or somethin'. You know, leave the nest like a good baby bird," he snickered, but when she glared at him, he pretended he hadn't.

"Well, if that's what he wanted, he should've _said _so!" she continued to shout, hoping her words would carry inside the house.

"I think he did, in a way," Sano remarked thoughtfully.

Kaoru sighed. This was too much. Sano was being contemplative, and Hiko had just kicked her to the curb with nary a good-bye. _What in the world is going on?!_

"He should have at least let me collect my things," she sulked.

"What things? You mean to say you got some kimonos or pretty girly stuff in there?" Sano teased.

_Well, that's more normal at least. _"Of course not! But I could use, I don't know, some soap or a comb or something." True to her childhood imaginings, Kaoru had allowed her hair to grow, and the thought of trying to manage the waist-length mass without some kind of implement was frightening. She was a tomboy, to be sure, but not without some basic concern for good hygiene and neatness.

"Don't worry. They can sort all that out for ya," Sano replied nonchalantly.

"They who?" Kaoru was suspicious. This all seemed a little too easy.

"The Oniwaban of course. Or don't you want to come with me?" Sano feigned a hurt expression, and Kaoru let another sigh escape her.

"I'd like to decide for myself what I'm doing… and _when!_" She yelled to the house as an afterthought.

Sano grinned, "Okay, decide then. Nobody's forcing you. You can come join the anti-war Oniwabanshu and show everyone your old man was right, or you can… well… uh…"

"Oh shut up," Kaoru snapped, but the grin never left his face. "The two of you planned this, didn't you?"

Her friend held his hands out in front of him in a gesture of innocence. "No way, missy, I had no idea the old guy was gonna pull that kinda stunt, but I have been meaning to ask you to join, okay?" Sano tried to look sheepish, but only ended up seeming a little too proud of himself.

Still, she knew he was telling the truth. Probably Hiko had just decided to take advantage of his visit. She rolled her eyes at him anyway, resigning herself to her course. Sometimes, she swore someone was puppeteering her life, pulling at her strings just to watch her dance.

"Fine, let's go," she muttered, refusing to answer his goofy smile and admit she was somewhat excited. Before they left, though, she had one more thing to do.

"All right, you!" she shouted at the front door again. "I know you like to hit the sake when you're alone, but don't you dare become a worthless drunk while I'm gone, because I _will_ be coming back, and when I do, I expect you to be at your best so I can beat the tar out of you for this, you hear me?!" Then, more quietly, but still hopefully loud enough for him to hear:

"Thank you."

* * *

_Kiku's Corner!_

_Hello again, everyone, and thanks for reading! The story is about ready to ratchet up a few gears, I should say, so thank you for your patience during the setup process. Next chapter, we will meet Misao, Aoshi, and probably Megumi as well. If all goes according to plan, there will also be more Kenshin, so yay for that._

_Many thanks to all the readers, reviewers, and Beth, beta extraordinaire for her readthrough of this chapter._

_~Kiku~_

_

* * *

_

_Review Responses:_

_Pterion: Again, thank you for being marvelous enough to continue reviewing. I'm glad you liked the relationship between Sano and Kaoru; I wrote it that way because it just makes so much sense in the context of this story, and it is one thing I kind of wish the manga/anime had gone into more. So I guess I have another question for you: did I write Hiko believably? I had a little bit of trouble trying to think like him. _

_Nma5: Why, thank you! Always glad to hear from someone new, and I hope you continue to enjoy it!_

_Jenni: Awesome, I'm glad you like it. Thanks for dropping a line, and I hope it just gets better from here._

_GinsengH: You bring up an interesting point. I have also thought about that to some extent, and my "solution" (more of an answer really) will show up in the next few chapters. Kaoru certainly isn't stronger martially than Kenshin, just different, and that is really what the plot will orient around. Hopefully it doesn't put you off too much once it gets explained a little more, but I don't want to give away the plot!_

_XxPurpleSpoonxX: I generally try not to get involved in shipping disputes, since I think the quality of a story depends more on the writing than anything else. Still, I am not a huge fan of Tomoe the character, and at this point I have no plans to include her or Enishi in this story. Given the AU timeline, they really don't fit. _

_JMai: Hello, and thanks again. I'm glad you think the story is improving, as that is certainly one of my goals for it. Sano is really fun to write; I love how obnoxious he can be when he thinks he's being all wise and whatnot. I guess I'd ask you the same question I posed to pterion: does Hiko make sense? I'm worried most about him and Kenshin as Battosai as far as keeping them in character goes. As for the ki shift: I think that was sort of explained here, but there will certainly be more on the subject to come._

_Anonymous: Awesome! I got a review from someone without a name! Lol. Thank you at any rate, and they should maybe meet in the next chapter, which may or may not be insanely long because of all I have to fit into it to make that happen…_

_Ilwts: Did you leave me a review last time as well? If so, thanks again! If not, thanks anyway. Glad to hear you're enjoying it. Some people don't like anonymous reviews, I like to think that it means someone who doesn't normally review has taken time to do that for me. Kind of egotistic, but oh well._


	5. Chapter 5: Perplexed

Chapter 5: Perplexed

_From caring comes courage._

_-Lao Tzu_

* * *

Misao watched the two of them traverse the forest with a burgeoning interest. She had never met the Kaoru-chan of Sano's stories, but she had a feeling this girl was her.

Her treetop vantage point allowed her unimpeded observation of the pair. The trick was to move quietly. It was an odd thing, but people never seemed to look up. Ahead certainly; the cautious looked behind and the reserved down, but nobody ever looked up.

One of Misao's favorite parts of being a spy was this sort of pure reconnaissance. It was interesting, the things people did when they thought nobody was watching. Sometimes, it was funny, at others, sad, or happy or strange. It was also fun to know what someone else was doing, without them even having a clue you were there.

Of course, that wasn't something she would ever tell anybody. Okina-san would make a lewd joke about it, and Aoshi-sama would tell her she was being immature. If he said anything at all. She bit back a sigh of frustration. _No matter what I do, it's never enough to make him see me the way I am. I'm a woman now, darnit, not some little girl!_

Her frustrated internal monologue was cut somewhat short when her marks stopped. Misao crept closer, trying to catch any words that might be passing between them.

Sano was speaking. "Well, missy, I have to leave ya here for a bit. I've gotta go find the boss and make sure it's okay to let you know where the base is."

Misao squinted to get a better look at the young woman's face. She didn't appear to take this particular piece of news very well. "What? Sano, you said it was all taken care of. Why do I have to wait around for somebody's approval?"

Sanosuke rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Well, ya see, missy, you've kinda gone and thrown regular procedure out the window. You know about the Oniwaban before they know anything about you. Normally, we bring possible recruits by the hideout before they know what it is. If our leader likes 'em, then they get to know about us. I can't very well just waltz you into the building like this." Catching sight of the growing anger on his companion's face, he hurriedly pressed on, "Look, it's just a formality. Our leader's kinda paranoid about this stuff. You'll be fine."

Kaoru snorted in a most unladylike fashion. "Paranoid? Is that why he sent someone to follow us?" Misao nearly fell out of her tree. _How did she know I was here?_ Of all the people she'd tried to follow, only Aoshi, Sano, and Okina had ever known she was there.

"Oh, Misao? Don't worry about her. She just likes to stick her nose where it doesn't belong."

_That does it! _Misao leapt to the ground in front of Sano and his friend, both of whom seemed rather unfazed by her sudden appearance. "Hey, you! I'll have you know that Aoshi-sama sent me here himself!"

It wasn't until Kaoru raised an eyebrow that Misao realized her mistake. "So, your leader's name is Aoshi, is it?"

Misao could have kicked herself, but she refused to let it show on her face. Instead, she decided to bluff it. "Yeah, so? That's not any special information or anything," she lied.

Kaoru merely shrugged, giving no indication as to whether she had believed the falsehood or not. Sano just shook his head.

"Well, Misao, it's good that you're here. You just watch the missy while I go and see the boss about this, okay?" Without waiting for a response, Sanosuke turned and disappeared down a forest trail. It was actually deceptively tree-lined around here; the city proper wasn't more than a five-minute walk from where they were standing.

Misao heard a soft sigh and refocused her attention on the girl beside her. The one called Kaoru's face seemed slightly irritated, in the manner of someone well used to it. Misao guessed they were around the same age, though the other's very blue eyes held a sort of guardedness that she was sure wasn't present in her own reflection. The young ninja couldn't say why she thought so, but it seemed this girl kept many secrets, not all of them her own.

"I hate it when he does that," Kaoru said, offering a wry smile.

Misao shook her head. She knew exactly what the swordswoman meant. "Men," the young ninja snorted, "They go off and do things without properly telling you. Sometimes they just forget, like you're not _important _enough to keep informed, and other times they think they're _protecting _you or something stupid like that." She huffed, crossed her arms, and promptly sat in the dirt at her feet.

Kaoru's right eye appeared to twitch slightly, but Misao couldn't tell if she'd imagined it. "I actually just meant that he really doesn't think things through all the way, and I usually suffer for it. But I suppose your thought holds true too, sometimes."

Misao rolled her eyes. "You obviously know different men than I do."

Kaoru's answering smile was indulgent. "Would you like to talk about it?"

The kunoichi considered. _Is it okay to tell her more about Aoshi? He is the leader of the Oniwaban, after all. And I don't know if I can trust her or not. Still, Sano seems to. And if she didn't know it was Aoshi..._ Misao decided she could really use someone to vent at right about then.

As Kaoru sat down beside her, Misao took a deep breath. "See, I have this friend…"

* * *

Kaoru listened to the strange girl tell her story with some amusement. Misao's "friend" was clearly the girl herself, and this mystery man she waxed eloquent about was of a type she knew well.

"If it helps," she offered when Misao paused long enough to breathe, "overprotectiveness is usually just a really annoying way of caring." _At least, I hope it is. Otherwise…_ she shook her head, causing Misao to look at her oddly before responding.

"Yeah, I guess. I- I mean, my friend- just wants him to know that she's strong too, you know?" Misao sighed and clasped her hands behind her head, laying back on the ground.

"Definitely," Kaoru smiled. There was a pause, then: "Misao, what exactly is it that the Oniwaban _do? _Sano tells me they're anti-war, but you employ fighters, don't you?" She hoped her new acquaintance could tell her; if she met with one more "don't worry about it," or "it'll be explained later," she was going to scream. And probably kill Sano.

Misao's green eyes flicked in her direction, catching her gaze and holding it for a few seconds before she answered, "fighters, spies, politicians, you name it. Anyone that can help bring this stupid war to an end. Most of them are only loosely associated with us; we are a _secret_ organization after all. The core group is fighters though."

Kaoru frowned. "But how does hiring fighters help stop a war?"

Misao looked as confused as Kaoru felt. "You mean you don't get it?"

The taller girl couldn't help but feel a little offended. "I said I didn't, will you please explain it to me?"

Her counterpart smiled. "No need to get so touchy. It's just, Sano told me you have some philosophy about fighting to protect or something. We don't, necessarily; sometimes group members do kill people, but we're not soldiers. We serve as bodyguards and spies for antiwar government types. It's kinda dangerous not to take sides, you know?" Misao seemed to be growing more enthused about her topic, and she started to ramble on about additional functions of an Oniwaban member.

Kaoru, though, had stopped listening. Her shoulders slumped, and she stared hard at the hands folded in her lap, white-knuckled from clutching at each other in an attempt to keep herself in the present. The memories hadn't threatened quite this badly in some time; if she wasn't careful, she'd end up reliving that moment right here. As it was, she knew to expect the nightmare again tonight. The peace she had come to about her father's death was not yet complete, and the recollections were still occasional visitors to her subconscious.

"Hey, Kaoru, are you listening?" Misao had sat up, and was about to wave one hand in front of her inattentive audience's face when she suddenly seemed to snap out of it. "Man, you kinda zoned out there. Everything okay?"

Kaoru relaxed her hands and smiled. It was false, but Misao wouldn't know her well enough to tell. "Yes. I was just thinking how good it is that the Oniwaban can do that for people. I wasn't sure before, but I think I really want to join now."

"Well that's good, 'cause I've got orders to bring ya there," came another voice from behind them.

"Sano! That must have been quite the short trip," Kaoru remarked, a genuine happiness replacing the false one. Sano had that effect on people, it seemed.

"Yeah, well, the boss wants to get this over with," he replied cryptically, shrugging.

Kaoru rolled her eyes. It seemed he wasn't going to give her a straight answer today. She supposed she should be surprised at how much she had gotten out of Misao. Then again, the girl didn't seem to be too careful with her words. It was probably hard to guard so many of them.

"Awesome!" the would-be spy exclaimed. Pumping one fist into the air, she started forward at a pace best described as a march. "Let's go then!"

"Not so fast, itachi," Sano replied. He held out a hand in Kaoru's direction, from which dangled a narrow length of black cloth. He looked at his old friend almost apologetically. "Boss says you have to go blindfolded. Just in case, you know, the interview goes badly." He attempted a sheepish smile.

Kaoru just glared. "Absolutely not."

* * *

Ten minutes later found Kaoru being led, blindfolded, through the forest by a bouncy Misao. Sano had attempted to be her guide, but as soon as he had placed a steadying hand on her shoulder, she had used her ki sense to find him and punch his arm. She was in the process of twisting it when the bubbly ninja had intervened.

Sano was now leading them both, walking more than an arm's length in front of Kaoru so as to avoid further retribution. She hadn't actually done him any harm, but he didn't really feel like risking it. The missy was a spitfire when something made her mad. He just hoped Aoshi would be prepared for the consequences of that, because there was no way _he_ was taking the blame for this one.

Within another ten minutes, they had reached the outskirts of Kyoto. Sano kept them to the Oniwaban-controlled alleys and streets, making sure that nobody outside the organization would notice a gi-clad woman being led around in a blindfold. Kaoru may not have been aware of it, but her very occupation as a swordswoman was unusual enough to attract the wrong kind of attention. A random samurai might not alert the authorities, but a female carrying a sword dressed like a man would surely reach the ears of the Shinsengumi, or worse, the Isshin Shishi rebels.

Going the long way meant taking extra time, but it wasn't something that Sano minded given the situation. Kaoru at last consented to his help when the reached the back entrance of the Aoiya and was made aware that they would be ascending some stairs to reach their destination. Between himself and Misao, Kaoru managed the climb with as much dignity as she could muster until they reached the door to what served as the organization's meeting room, which was just behind the kitchen. Here, Misao removed the blindfold while Sano knocked.

"Enter," came the smooth, flat voice of Sano's commander. The young man cocked an eyebrow at his friend, who nodded resolutely. With a casual shrug meant to reassure her, Sano slid open the door.

Aoshi and the old man Okina were both seated in front of a low table, drinking tea. The Oniwaban leader had enough respect for their visitor to remove his weapons from his person, but they were laying within arm's reach. He wore his usual blank expression, and did not speak as the three others entered. If he was surprised to see Misao, he did not indicate it.

Sano bowed in the cocky, casual way that was his style. He knew that Aoshi vaguely disapproved of his lack of proper manners, but the man was a pragmatist to the core, and certainly would not give up someone as useful as Sano for the sake of formalities. Misao's own bow was hasty, and perhaps a shade too enthusiastic. Okina grinned when he saw it, and Sano knew the old pervert was having difficulty not making a comment. Kaoru's was crisp and neat, and she removed her swords from her obi, giving them to Sano as a sign of deference to the Oniwaban, and seating herself directly across from the still unmoving Aoshi.

* * *

Kaoru found herself in a rather awkward situation. She had guessed that Aoshi was the man's given name, and without his family name, she could not properly address him. He, on the other hand, did not seem particularly inclined to speak at all, whether he knew her name or not. _I suppose I could just introduce myself, but… _Somehow, that seemed like the wrong idea. For the first time in her life, she lamented that she had very little experience with people who weren't her instructors. Her father and Hiko-sensei had always been quite direct, and certainly not this taciturn.

_Him just looking at me like that is really getting annoying. _Under Aoshi's scrutiny, Kaoru was suddenly aware of the fact that there was still dirt on her gi from the road, and that she probably needed to bathe. And eat. _Still, he can't be totally different from Hiko-sensei, right? I mean, he's a fighter, too…_ And so, ignoring his gaze for the moment, she put her own observational skills to work.

_Hmm… two kodachi. Short range, but quick. He's tall, so his arm length probably makes up for some of the disadvantage. The old man's clearly a warrior, too, but he sits in a position of deference, so this guy's in charge… which means he must be good. He's no older than twenty-five. He clearly inspires loyalty, and not just in Misao. Even Sano listens to him._

Pleased at herself for figuring this much out, Kaoru finally met Aoshi's blue-grey eyes. While his face wasn't terribly expressive, she thought she could get a basic read on him. Swordsmen were all alike after a point; the discipline and resolve at the core of martial arts ensured that. She thought he looked the tiniest bit puzzled at the moment, though his gaze lost none of its sharpness. Still, she met it without fear or hesitation, willing her intentions to be made clear and readable through that common ground.

Her peripheral vision told her that her two companions were getting fidgety; Misao was downright nervous. By contrast, the old man looked like he knew exactly what was happening, and the small smile on his face was growing wider.

"Hn." It was a small sound, but it seemed to break the tension as much as the silence, and Kaoru softly let out a breath she hadn't known she'd been holding.

"My name is Shinamori Aoshi," the tall man continued.

Kaoru inclined her head. "Kamiya Kaoru."

His eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly, as though he were rethinking something, though it was not he who spoke next.

"Heheh," the old man broke in, "what an interesting surprise. Koshijiro never told me he had a daughter."

Sano snorted. "I think we all know the reason for that, you old pervert." Misao snickered, but Kaoru wasn't really paying attention. "You knew my father?"

"Oh yes, and your master, too, once. You know, I never thought Hiko would take on another apprentice after what happened to the first one, but now I think I understand." There was something in the elderly ninja's expression that she couldn't read, as though he knew something she didn't.

Of course, he probably did. Hiko-sensei had been reluctant and evasive the one time she brought up the matter of his former apprentice, who she deduced had left no more than a day before she had arrived.

"I only know that he left to fight in the war," she said carefully.

Aoshi's eyes were cold when he replied. "That is one way to say it. He now works as a hitokiri; doing the dirty work for the Isshin Shishi."

"Oh." Kaoru wasn't exactly sure what she should say to that; it wasn't as if she had known the man. She didn't even know his name.

"Tell me something," Aoshi continued, "why do you seek to join the Oniwaban?"

Kaoru's hands clenched her dark blue hakama. She took a calming breath before she answered. "Because I want to protect people. That is the single purpose for which I was trained. To use a sword to save lives."

Aoshi seemed to think for a moment, then stood, putting a kodachi in each side of his obi before looking down at her. "Idealism like that will only get you killed. Our mission is to end the war at all costs. You should leave. The blood of the naïve will not stain my hands again."

At this proclamation, the room erupted. Within a few seconds, everyone who had been sitting had leapt to their feet, and Misao and Sano were both yelling, each trying to be heard over the other.

"What the hell! You can't turn her away for a stupid reason like that!"

"Aoshi-sama, you know that wasn't your fault!"

Even the old man entered the fray. "Aoshi, what happened to Hannya and the others was unfortunate, yes, but-"

"Enough." Aoshi's voice was barely audible, but it effectively silenced the room. "Idealists die. That's all. I will not send any more to an early grave."

Kaoru, who had recovered one of her swords from Sano, was clutching it with white knuckles. To say she was confused was an understatement. One thing she did know with certainty, though: this man's statements did not fit the attitude of his subordinates. His mission-at-all-costs attitude was much colder than she knew Sano to be, and she had a feeling that Misao wasn't like that either. For some reason, this made her angry. _What kind of leader thinks like that? _"It's better to die for what one believes than to lose those beliefs and be dead inside."

* * *

Aoshi heard Misao make a small noise, but he was unable to do anything but stare blankly at the young woman in front of her. _Am I really…? _Before he could carry that train of thought any further, she continued.

"Still, I understand your point. What if I promise not to die?" She looked hard at him, and for a few moments, neither spoke. He watched with a detached interest as a sliver of silver appeared at the rim of each iris. _Curious._ He knew he should refuse, but something, something about what she had said had set him to thinking. It was true, he had few close relationships with any of his subordinates since those four had died. Surely, though, that was for the best? _Yes, definitely._ And he would need more than a promise before he would let someone so fiercely committed to an ideal into his organization.

As though she were reading his mind, she held her sword out in front of her, parallel to the ground, then drew it just a fraction. He noticed that it was strangely-constructed; the blade was clearly on the wrong side. His attention was drawn back up to her face, though, when she spoke again.

"Then consider it not a promise, but an oath. On this sword, and on the honor of my father who gave it to me, I swear to you that I will not throw my life away. I will see this war through to the end, and I will do it without betraying either my father's philosophy or your trust." She pushed the sword back into its saya, and bowed deeply, formally before him.

He chanced a glance at the others. Misao was looking at him expectantly, and Sanosuke had a look on his face that betrayed his familiarity with this girl's determination. Okina's grin looked like it would split his face at any moment. His eyes moved back to Kaoru, still bent at the waist, waiting for some kind of response.

As much as he wanted to refuse, the pragmatic aspect of his personality knew that he could not. The Oniwaban was shorthanded as it was, an addition that also happened to be a student of the near-legendary Seijiro Hiko wasn't something he could turn down. Aoshi said no, the leader of the Oniwabanshu said yes.

"Ordinarily, I would have your martial skills tested before we sent you into the field. As it is, we have not the opportunity. In three days' time, you will be sent on your first mission. Do whatever you feel is necessary to prepare." She straightened, eyes returning to their normal color as a small smile appeared on her countenance. He did not wait for a reply, merely walked swiftly out of the room, the sound of Misao's excited squeal following him out the door.

"This is so exciting! You'll have to share my room with me; I just can't wait!"

_Dead inside… _A miniscule frown creased Aoshi's face. What had she meant by that? He'd have to find out someday. For now, though, there was urgent business to be attended to. Everything else could wait.

* * *

Kaoru hefted the wooden rod across her shoulders, struggling to keep her feet when the weight of the water buckets on each end proved to be more than she had anticipated. Beside her, Sano offered an easy smile as he managed the same feat without any difficulty. Kaoru just rolled her eyes at him.

"Who'da thought we'd be doing labor, eh missy?" He jibed gently. The two of them had been assigned a mission together; apparently this wasn't uncommon. Despite his rather ruthless words, Aoshi seemed concerned with keeping his subordinates alive.

While she appreciated that he was trying to distract her from her sore shoulders, Kaoru was able to offer little more than a grunt in reply. It was taking much of her focus to keep putting one foot in front of the other, given that they had been running water back and forth from the river like this virtually all day.

Sano didn't seem to mind her lack of conversation. "I wonder how much longer we'll be at this. I mean, the doc's doing great work, but it's been a week, and there's nothin' to say he's a target…"

Kaoru considered it, her brow furrowing in thought as the two continued to trudge down the rutted dirt road to the camp. The two of them had been assigned protection duty for a doctor. They had shown up at his door in just enough time to follow him out of it and onto the nearest battlefield. The aging man had not seemed particularly happy to see them, but once they had explained their presence, he had told them his story: he regularly visited the aftermath of battles to tend to any still alive and properly bury the dead. That was what the buckets were for: they needed as much fresh water for cleaning wounds as they could get.

Sano, apparently especially fond of the sound of his own voice today, was still speaking. "I mean, I get that they don't want some guy curing people from the other side or whatever, but most of these guys aren't gonna be well enough to fight again. Why would anyone bother killing him?"

Kaoru shrugged, a rather unnecessary and painful gesture in her current position. Wincing a little, she tried to keep her tone from betraying her discomfort. "As a message. Whether or not it's doing any real harm, he's defying both sides by not choosing one. Neither wants to be thought of as weak enough to let that slide." She could not keep the bitterness out of her tone, though she refused to look anywhere but straight ahead, not really seeing the single small tent that had been erected in the area, a splash of white on the ruddy, blood-stained ground.

Sano sighed and shook his head slowly. "Yeah, I guess," he conceded. "But hey, that's why we're here, right? We're not gonna let it happen, so cheer up missy."

His friend couldn't help but smile at the spring in Sano's own step, and wonder at his ability to maintain his own special brand of levity in the worst of circumstances. Still, she couldn't help the sneaking suspicion that today's apparently favorable mood had less to do with natural good humor and more to do with the doctor's daughter.

Their first day with Dr. Takani, they had met his assistant, who also happened to be his only remaining family. Sano had been quite taken with her silky black hair and warm eyes; Kaoru's first thought was that Megumi was the kind of woman that men wrote elegant odes to. Indeed, her pale, soft features and the natural red of her lips seemed torn from the pages of the poetry Hiko had introduced her to: old tales of unattainable love.

Needless to say, she hadn't been terribly impressed, and their few exchanged words had been cool at best. It wasn't until they had reached the site of what must have been a pitched battle that things had changed. Kaoru had watched with a growing respect as Megumi and her father had gone to work, swiftly gathering all those who still lived, even as the fires died down and the last of those who could still walk limped away. Never once did the woman complain, even though she spent hours at a time cleaning wounds and performing field surgeries that would have made Kaoru squirm had she been that close to them. Her brown eyes had held instead a fierce determination that the younger woman sympathized with.

So for the last few days, relations between the two had been friendly, if fatigued. Sano and Kaoru were doing all they could to help, but it was still two doctors against what seemed a thousand cuts and hundreds more putrid infections and gods only knew what else. The tent smelled of decay, and every time Kaoru entered, she found herself immediately wishing to leave.

Sano set down his burden and detached his wooden buckets from their pole, pushing open the tent flap, letting out those awful smells and a few groans of the dying before disappearing within. Kaoru followed suit, trying not to wrinkle her nose in distaste as the full sensory experience of the cramped, dark space assaulted her.

Megumi rose from where she had been kneeling by one of her patients, and Kaoru envied the woman's grace, that even in a situation like this she should seem so elegant. The young doctor offered a wan smile, but said nothing as she moved to the next motionless body.

The tent flap lifted again, and the elder Takani sidled inside, hefting some water that had been heated over the fire. Catching sight of Sano and Kaoru, he grunted.

"You two. You're supposed to be bodyguards, right? Get my daughter out of here and make sure she sleeps. She won't do anyone any good if she's dead herself. Trust me, I'm a doctor." His tone was gruff, but he was the kind of man who had laughter just beneath the surface. _At least, once he finds out you're not a soldier. _Kaoru nearly cringed at the memory of the initial misunderstanding. That man could be downright intimidating if he chose; he was about as tall as Sano, and possessed of burning black eyes. Kaoru almost thought he could see into her soul, but that was silly, wasn't it?

"Father! Let me stay," Megumi protested, "There are too many for you to tend by yourself."

The doctor harrumphed. "Sanosuke-kun can help me for a while. Besides, a letter arrived for you a while ago. You should open it." He moved past the three, and Sano shrugged, following him, giving Megumi a sidelong glance as he passed. Kaoru would have to remember to tease him about that later.

She was pondering the possibility when she noticed the look on Megumi's face darken considerably. _I wonder what's up with her…_

Nevertheless, the older woman did not argue further, and stepped back outside without a word, Kaoru following just as silently, surprised to find that the sky had lost a great deal of its light. She hadn't noticed it on their way back from the river, probably too lost in thought. _So much for being vigilant…_ Speaking of which, where was Megumi? Kaoru glanced around frantically until she found the younger Takani again, and she could have sighed with relief.

The woman stood by the large fire the group had made for heating the water to sterilize it before use on the wounded. It also served as a cooking fire in the evenings. Beside it lay the rudiments of their nonmedical supplies: dried foods and utensils on a piece of cloth, that ridiculous sword Sano insisted on carrying, writing supplies, and shovels.

Her attention was drawn away from these thoughts, though, when Megumi suddenly cast something into the fire. Kaoru darted to her side; it was clear from the frown etched on her face that her charge was upset.

"Megumi-san, what…?" But before Kaoru could inquire further, the frown was gone, replaced by a passive expression that betrayed nothing.

"It is no matter. Just a bit of unpleasant news." As if to stave off any more questions, Megumi yawned. "Father was right. I'm quite tired. I think I'll retire for the evening. I'm sure you can find some way to amuse yourself, Tanuki?" She cocked an eyebrow infuriatingly and smiled slyly when Kaoru scowled in response.

The swordswoman rolled her eyes as her companion gave that annoying laugh she had and walked off. _Ooh, the nerve of her! _Whether Kaoru respected her or not, the doctor sure knew how to make a person mad sometimes. _Still, that letter…_

On a hunch, Kaoru grabbed a nearby branch and began to poke at the fire, trying to find the letter. She knew she was being a busybody, but she didn't feel the last bit remorseful. If something had made Megumi that worried, it was her prerogative as a bodyguard to find out what it was, right?

Unfortunately, by the time Kaoru fished the remnants out of the flames, there was only a tiny piece left. It looked like the bottom corner. Blowing off some ash, Kaoru brought the fragment to her face.

"Takeda… who's Takeda?" she wondered aloud. The given name was too smudged to read, and so only the family name was legible. Whoever this Takeda person was, he had upset Megumi a great deal. She turned and watched as the woman in question disappeared into a second, smaller tent hidden behind the first. The doctor and his assistant made use of that one in shifts. Pulling the two sakabatou from her obi and placing them on the ground within arms' reach, Kaoru herself settled down in front of the fire. She had probably better get some shut-eye herself. Sano would doubtless wake her when it was her turn for the night watch. The young woman smiled a little as she recalled the first time they had journeyed together. That had been just over four years ago now, and much had changed. Her eyes wandered to the fire, and she stared into the dancing flames for a while, fascinated by their ceaseless movement. So inconstant, so violent… and yet there was a fierce beauty in them.

Her last waking thought was that she would have to ask Sano if he knew anyone named Takeda. _Tomorrow…_

* * *

"Kaoru!" She was abruptly jerked form her sleep by a harsh cry. Sitting bolt upright where she had been lying an instant before, she tried to determine the source, willing her eyes to clear, every nerve on high alert.

"Kaoru, quick, my sword!" _Sano!_ Without waiting for an explanation, she took the few strides necessary and hefted the huge thing in both hands, swearing under her breath when her sore shoulders protested. _I swear to Kami-sama, Sano, if you just carry this thing around because it looks cool… _Her straining ears caught the sound of breaking bone, and guessed that her partner had probably just dislocated someone's jaw. _Come on, you stupid…! _With a last great effort, she pulled the sword out of where Sano had plunged it into the ground- why, she had no idea- and swung it so that the flat of it rested across her right shoulder. Groaning at the weight- _there's no way this is useful, even for someone like him- _she nonetheless managed to dash at a respectable speed to where he was attempting to fight off ten men, dressed in the all-black uniforms of an Isshin Shishi strike squad.

"Sano!" she yelled, alerting him to her presence. He turned, and she slid in past one of his attackers, allowing him to take the hilt of his massive blade and leverage it off her person. As soon as he had taken the weight, she drew her father's sword and swung it in one fluid motion into the unfortunate soul who'd thought to take advantage of their momentary distraction.

Turning briefly to Sano, with a mind to use some pithy phrase to indicate that they should hurry up and get this over with, she instead felt the words die on her tongue. He looked… afraid. Her own eyes widened; she'd seen Sano when he knew the odds weren't on his side, but he'd always faced it with a grin, or at least a sort of grim determination. Never fear.

As soon as his blade was well in hand, he used it sideways to take out five of the guys in one swoop. "Kaoru, you have to find the Takanis! There was a hitokiri with these goons! I'll hold them off, you protect the clients!"

Kaoru swallowed. If this was indeed a strike squad, then it made sense that there was at least one assassin among them, but she didn't feel entirely comfortable leaving Sano to deal with this lot alone.

"Go, damnit! Our mission is to protect them!" Sano swung his sword a second time, knocking down three more, but the first five were already beginning to stand up again. Kaoru tore her eyes painfully from the scene, suppressing the powerful desire to stay and fight with her friend. Sano could handle himself; she had to believe that.

Taking a deep breath, she launched herself forward at a sprint, breezing past more soldiers as she headed for the tent. That was where the doctors likely were; most of the patients were stable enough to be without constant care, and the elder Takani was probably as exhausted as his daughter.

She didn't get that far, though, before she found them. In the clearing she had just vacated, Megumi was kneeling next to the prone form of her father. Kaoru couldn't tell if he was dead or not; she guessed from Megumi's behavior that he was barely clinging to life. The woman seemed to be applying pressure to a wound in his side, but she wasn't focused.

Not that Kaoru blamed her. Megumi's usually serene eyes were fixed, horrorstruck, on the gleaming katana poised to strike them both. Without time for further consideration, Kaoru drew her own blade and dashed headlong to meet their assailant, who paused in his attack before turning to meet her assault.

His block was flawless, and Kaoru was jarred by the force the two swords created as they met. Satisfied that she has the assassin's attention, she swiftly disengaged and leapt back to better consider her opponent.

* * *

The Battousai allowed the girl to retreat. The female doctor was working frantically now to restore her father to consciousness, but that could be dealt with later. _Always eliminate the largest threat first. _That way, there would be no surprises. Satisfied that the strike squad Katsura had insisted he take had the other guard in hand, this… woman was the threat now.

Even though she didn't look like one, the Battosai knew she was. Not many fighters moved with that kind of speed; while it did not match his own, it was still troublesome, mostly because he had no idea who she was. The Isshin Shishi had data on all notable samurai working for the Shogunate, and even most of the ronin, and he had studied them well.

Apparently, their collection was incomplete. Such a thing, though, was of trivial importance. She couldn't be notable if she was dead.

The two circled each other for a few tense moments. She was clearly trying to put herself between him and his targets; he was content to let her. The swordswoman did not seem particularly inclined to attack, however; she looked at him with an unguarded expression of confusion. This, too, he allowed her. Perhaps if she recognized him for what he was, she would flee in terror from the battle she could not win. The Battousai was a finely-tuned instrument of death, but she was not in his contract.

And so in return, he studied her as well. A simple white gi and dark blue hakama; nothing to identify an organization. Her hands gripped her peculiar sword with familiarity, but they were shaking. That, coupled with her obviously youthful face and guilt-free bright blue eyes marked her as unbelievably green in the area of real combat. _What a waste._ She was going to die on her first battleground.

"Who are you?" the question surprised him, not so much for its content as its tone. There was no accusation in it, merely curiosity.

"I do not give my name to those I kill," he replied cryptically. Whether this was because he did not want the name his master gave him to be associated with who he was now or because he had simply lost all need for one, he did not know.

"Hitokiri Battousai," a voice spat. The female doctor's face was contorted with rage. "People like him are the reason my father has to do what he does." She glared at him coldly, but he simply looked at her until she was forced to avert her gaze. People always had to, eventually.

"Battousai…" the blue-eyed one shook her head, as though this seemed somehow incorrect. The assassin said nothing. His patience was beginning to wear thin.

"You're not in the contract," he began flatly. "So if you leave now, you won't die." Truly, it would be easier just to kill them all now, but the shred of a certain idealistic teenager that still remained within the ruthless manslayer would not allow it unless the extra was given a chance to flee.

Rather than the cowardly acquiescence he was expecting, however, the statement seemed to affect an entirely opposite change in the girl. Her hands steadied, and she stepped in front of her companion, hiding the doctors from his view. She sheathed her sword, then used her thumb to loosen it, settling back into a battojutsu stance smoothly, one hand hovering over the blade's hilt.

If he had remembered how, the Battousai would have laughed. Why confront someone with their own eponymous style? It was the height of foolishness. _Unless she actually thinks she can win… no, she believes she must. _There was no other explanation for the hardening of the naively open face.

Well, if she was serious about this, then he would be too. He fluidly shifted back into his own drawing position, almost a mirror of hers. The next part of the fight was always a waiting game. To the untrained observer, it would look as though the two of them were merely standing there, doing nothing. In reality, the fight had already begun. The air was almost perceptibly thick with ki, each subtle shift revealing something of the one to whom it belonged.

Despite the unquestionable knowledge that he would win, the Battosai found himself grateful that he had not tried to dispense with her immediately. He would have likely found himself with some wounds for his trouble. His opponent was stronger than he would have guessed based on her inexperience. Few people possessed such a subtle, fluid ki, and it confused him. Even now, as they were about to begin a duel to the death, he could sense no killing intent, no inclination to use the sword so expertly grasped in one hand. If the ki of a master was a carefully-contained firestorm, hers was a gentle rain. _How is such a thing possible? _

He decided that it didn't matter. It was odd, how he had to keep reminding himself that she was inconsequential, that she was going to die anyway. These thoughts firmly in mind, he slid his sword out of its saya in a motion too fast for the eye to see.

Though she was a little slower, the time it took him to close the distance between them was enough, and the blades clashed midway between their bodies. She angled her sword so that his began to slide off; he swiftly regained control and struck again, harder this time. Once more, he was parried. Her defense was strong, and she seemed to be able to anticipate his movements, which surprised him. His style was highly unusual and passed to only one person at a time. Surely, she had never encountered it before.

And yet, he was finding that the same applied to him. Though some of the defensive moves were different enough to be unanticipated, he found that he was blocking her infrequent attacks on muscle memory more than instinct. Unsure what this meant, he disengaged and leapt back.

She had clearly drawn the same conclusion, and was regarding him with puzzlement, and then something that was a little too close to comprehension for the Battousai's comfort. It seemed that this strange girl knew something he did not. He was slightly put-off when he noticed that during the course of their exchange, her eyes had changed color. He knew all about altered ki-states, of course, but rarely had he encountered someone else with one. The situation was changing too fast for his liking, and the Battousai decided that he needed to end the encounter now, before something else that he could not account for occurred. The sooner he could wash his hands of this girl's blood and the entire affair, the better.

Aware of what to expect now, he lunged, catching her off-guard. She had clearly been waiting for him to say something, unfortunately for her, and was barely able to stave off his attack this time. The subsequent set of blows, while all parried- just- had her backing up at each contact, almost to where the doctors were, and the last move managed to slip past her guard and score a shallow cut on her shoulder. _I should finish this, _he thought dispassionately, readying himself for the final series of strikes.

* * *

Kaoru willed herself to focus, to fight harder, but she knew that it was a losing battle. Already, the sweat was running in rivulets down her back and sides, and some was making its way dangerously close to her eyes. The blood from her wound was soaking through her gi, and the sight and smell of it was making her a bit woozy.

Her mysterious opponent, however, seemed largely unfazed. Kaoru was a good enough swordswoman to know when she was outclassed, but she refused to give up for two reasons: first, if she did, he would kill her, Megumi, Doctor Takani, and Sano as well, and that was flatly unacceptable for a number of reasons. Secondly, she was pretty certain this was the man that Hiko was referring to when he said "baka deshi." Though she questioned the wisdom of calling this man by that name, there was no other explanation for why he was using the Hiten Mitsurugi style.

Of course, knowing wasn't the same as understanding. He was surely Hiko's successor, and yet nothing like their master. This man was colder and more ruthless than Hiko ever pretended to be, and there was no doubt in her mind that he fully intended to kill them all. It took but one look at his molten gold eyes to tell you that. Eyes so very much like the fire she'd been staring into before she slept. Violent, unpredictable… and captivating. She shivered. The cool of the night air had penetrated her gi, and the moisture sliding down her back only served to exacerbate the problem.

She was fading fast, and she had the feeling he knew it. It wouldn't be long now, and he'd win. She'd die. The knowledge bothered her greatly, though she felt no fear. Somehow, she just couldn't believe it. She had far too much to do before she was allowed to die! _So then I won't, _she thought simply, remembering her oath to Aoshi. Why couldn't it be as easy as that? She narrowed her eyes and returned to the immediate present, only to find that her opponent- the Battousai, Megumi had called him- was clearly distracted by something. She considered taking advantage of the opportunity this presented, but decided against it. Instead, she followed the golden gaze. Seeing nothing, she was confused, until she heard the sounds of mass chaos. There was no way that kind of noise could be produced by the thirty or so people in the camp, and that included the sick men in the tents.

Kaoru was further surprised when Sano burst into the clearing from behind one of the tents- several of the Battousai's men at his heels. He slowed abruptly as he caught sight of the scene, eyes narrowing as he regarded the assassin. Whatever impulse had brought them there, though, soon won over, and he ran to her side.

"Missy, there's more coming," he said hurriedly. "These guys say they aren't with them." He looked distrustful, but if he was right, they didn't have much choice but to hope the Isshin Shishi were telling the truth. Eleven might be possible for the two of them to deal with, but whatever was making that racket sure wasn't.

"Is it the Shinsengumi?" the Battosai asked one of his men, though he pitched his voice enough for Kaoru and Sano to hear.

"No sir," one of his soldiers, a man of middle height with a traditional samurai topknot, answered. "We believe they are under the employ of Takeda Kanryuu."

"The crime lord?" the redhead betrayed no confusion, though Kaoru knew he must be at least somewhat perplexed. It made absolutely no sense. _Unless…_She stole a glance at Megumi. The doctor's motions had stopped entirely, and her face was paralyzed with terror.

"Megumi, you need to tell me what's going on," Kaoru said firmly, snapping the woman out of her reverie.

The younger Takani shook her head. "Does it matter? He's come for me, but he'll kill us all. That's just the kind of man he is."

Topknot nodded in agreement. "They already got Yamada and Kawasaki," he affirmed.

"Th-they've got a Gatling gun," another, younger soldier put in fearfully.

"What are your orders, sir? Should we abandon the mission?"

The Battousai's eyes narrowed, and all the men except Topknot shrank visibly from the glare. Even the latter looked decidedly uncomfortable.

"You stay here. I will deal with this myself."

* * *

The Battousai made to walk away, but the troublesome girl stepped into his path. He glared at her, willing her to leave him alone, but she didn't back down.

"No, you won't," she said firmly. "This is my responsibility as well as yours." Fierce silver eyes burned into his own with an intensity that surprised him. He would maintain for some time afterward that it was the shock of someone defying him that caused him to look away and continue on without a word, instead of refusing her.

"Sano, stay here and protect Megumi-san," he heard her say behind him. Her companion made a sound like he was about to protest, but was likely silenced by the same glare.

The two of them crested the nearby hill, and the Battousai understood why such a loud force had been undetectable for so long. They were using the terrain to their advantage, and the amount of noise they were making right now had likely led his two unfortunate men into a trap when they climbed the small mound to investigate. The plan was flawed: they had clearly counted on only the two bodyguards, and so had revealed themselves at the sight of two fighters. Now, they were on the move again, not bothering to mask their presence.

"Looks like they think they've already won," the girl put in from beside him. He nodded slightly and unsheathed his sword, intending to climb to the top and make his existence known. He personally had no need of surprise; better to terrify as many of them as possible before killing those brave enough to remain.

Whether she guessed his intent and agreed with it or simply did not care he couldn't say, but the swordswoman followed him. They stood on the high ground, looking silently at the line of men below, waiting for their presence to be noticed. There were about fifty of them, all told, and the one in charge was indeed manning a Gatling gun, a recent invention that the Isshin Shishi had been keeping close track of.

"See that?" he asked his steely-eyed companion.

She nodded slowly, confusion written on her face. The moonlight was glinting off her eyes in a way that made them almost luminous, and he found himself momentarily distracted by the strangeness of it. Shrugging it off, he elaborated, "It fires pieces of metal at high speeds. Dodge if you can, block them if you cannot. Too many blocks will destroy your sword." He wasn't entirely sure why he was telling her this as though he cared if she lived or died, but decided it was for the strictly utilitarian purpose of keeping her alive long enough to help him. Not that he needed help.

Regarding his own sword, he began to rethink that last. It wasn't a particularly good weapon; one of his master's practice blades really. Still, he'd never needed another. Now, though… _one bullet could do it._

The girl tilted her head sideways. "That doesn't look like it'll last long," she commented casually, "you should use this." She pulled a second, sheathed blade from her obi, and held it our towards him.

He knew immediately upon taking hold of it that it was finer than any katana he'd ever held; finer even than his teacher's blade. The balance was near-perfect, and the gold-chased hilt fit snugly into his sword-callused hand. But there was something… off about it. Loosening it a bit, he exposed about three inches of the steel.

"The blade is on the wrong side," he began dismissively.

"It's not designed to kill," she rejoined, "but it can still do heavy damage." The smile that accompanied this was both smug and friendly, and he again marveled inwardly at the alien nature that suffused everything this girl did. She entered into duels without the desire to kill, carried two of the finest swords he had ever laid eyes upon, yet dressed so nondescriptly that she could pass for any average samurai, gender notwithstanding.

And she met his eyes without fear.

Keeping his katana in his obi, he added the other without further comment, to the sounds of shouts from below.

"Well, it's about time they noticed us," the girl grinned. Her statement was accompanied by the _rat-a-tat-tat _of gunfire, and the two of them separated, putting about thirty feet between them to make a less easy target for the gunner, who was cackling madly and raving about riches or opium or something. The Battousai didn't heed him regardless.

The pair made their way through the ranks in flashes of steel and luminous eyes, tracing parallel paths through soldiers, moving faster than their opponents could keep track of. Numerous as the enemy were, they possessed no large degree of skill, making them easy targets. The gun was more of a problem, since the mechanism allowed for rapid firing. The gunner was less than accurate, however, and as a result, many of the bullets flew wide and erratic.

It was the Battousai who reached the madman first. Bringing his sword down upon the man's clavicle, he heard a crunch as the bone shattered, and the bespectacled smuggler crumpled in a heap.

_Takeda Kanryuu…_ the man was on Katsura's hit list, certainly. The Battousai replaced the sakabatou in its sheath, and drew his katana.

"No!" The shout caused him to turn. The girl's last opponent hit the ground with a heavy _thud, _ and she closed the gap between them in less than a second.

He stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

"You don't have to kill him," she started, eyes wide.

"He is a wanted criminal," the Battousai replied. "Why shouldn't I?" Nonetheless, he lowered his weapon.

"Because you aren't the law," she replied firmly. "A samurai is not an executioner."

He shrugged; this argument was useless. "And I am not a samurai." _I'm nothing but an assassin._

"I don't think Hiko-sensei would be pleased to hear you say that." Her expression was downcast, and her tone muted when she said this, as though it were somehow hurting her to do so.

For a moment, he was unable to speak. It had been a long time since he had heard that name, been reminded of that part of his life. For four years, he had been nothing but the Hitokiri Battousai, the Isshin Shishi's top hit man. He had thought Seijiro Hiko's student long dead.

"He was my master, too," she whispered. "But I do not practice his style." Their eyes met, hers hovering somewhere between blue and silver now. "He trained you to be a samurai, not an assassin, of that I am sure."

The Battousai allowed his face to betray nothing. Still, she continued. "Take him prisoner," she suggested. "Surely, he has some kind of information that you want. I'll take one of these," she gestured to the prone forms on the ground, a pleading note to her statement.

He considered. "And the rest of them?"

"Will have concussions-" she looked at his opponents and winced- "or broken bones. But they'll live. The Takanis will treat them. They were probably just hired help anyway. There's no need to kill them."

Why he acquiesced, he could not explain. His mission had been to kill the Takanis and get out. He had utterly failed at that, and all because of this girl. He _should _finish what he started. Instead, he removed the borrowed sword and held it out to her. She shook her head, an odd expression on her face.

"Hiko-sensei wanted you to have it, I think," she said. "He also wanted me to tell you that he's still waiting. Farewell, Battousai." She turned her back on the scene, and began to ascend the hill once more.

"Himura," he said by way of reply. She stopped, and looked over her shoulder. "My name… it's Himura Kenshin."

The last bit of silver slipped out of her gaze, and her face softened once more into the childlike innocence it had possessed before as a bright smile blossomed on her countenance. "Then, farewell, Himura-san."

She was back to the camp before he realized he had no idea who _she _was.

* * *

_Kiku's Corner:_

_So, what do you think? I promised you they'd meet in this chapter. I had to make it REALLY long to get it all in there like I wanted, but I managed it. Any comments on Kenshin's or Aoshi's character (or any of them for that matter) will be much appreciated as I continue to write. _

_I realize I left a couple things unresolved, but that's what the next chapters are for. That, and introducing some more people! Any theories or guesses as to what will happen next? I always love to hear what people are thinking. _

_Okay, with the reviews plug over, I'd like to thank all the readers and Beth, Queen of All Things Awesome, for getting this massive chapter edited in less than 24 hours. Can your beta do that? Lol._

_Next Chapter: Some Yahiko, some more Misao, some Saito (maybe), and some Kurogasa, and of course more Kenshin and Kaoru awesomesauce. Later!_

_~Kiku~_

_

* * *

_

_**Japanese for Beginners (or people not as obsessive as me):**_

_Hitokiri- literally "person-killer," or assassin if you like._

_Saya- sheath, for a katana._

_Oniwabanshu and Isshin Shishi- active organizations during the Meiji Resoration period in Japanese history. My usages are far from accurate, though, so don't use them in history class or anything._

_Tanuki- raccoon-dog, or a rather unflattering nickname for Kaoru._

_Itachi- weasel, or the same for Misao. _

_Gi- the top half of the traditional martial arts gear worn by Kenshin and sometimes Kaoru in the manga._

_Hakama- bottom half of the same._

_Kodachi- short sword. Aoshi dual-wields them._

_

* * *

_

_**Review Responses:**_

_PurpleSpoon: Your idea intrigues me. I think I might be able to work something similar into the story. It would be nice to have that continuity nod, so maybe it will show up in a few chapters or so, who can say? Until now, don't worry about it too much, I certainly have no intention of featuring Tomoe as a main character or anything._

_GinsengH: I had wondered about that. Well, for your reference, Kaoru's somewhere between 16 and 17 at the moment. The only timeskip in this chapter was of a couple of days; hopefully it was clear enough. And yes, Hiko was totally holding back. It's pretty heavily implied in the manga and anime that he could basically kick anyone's face in at any time, and while I've toned that down just a bit, he's certainly not worried about losing to a teenager, no matter how talented. Don't worry, I plan on continuing this until the end; I hate leaving things unfinished._

_Pterion: I'm glad I managed to keep him in character for you. Some of the people in this thing are just hard to write. Like Aoshi… dear heavens, Aoshi and Kenshin are such pains! I do love them though, which is what keeps me trying. Thank you for the compliments, they were sweet and made my day when I read them._

_Jade: Nice to meet you (ish), and thanks for the review! I'm glad to hear you think so highy of this little project of mine. It may seem under-reviewed compared to some of its peers, but it's by far the most attention I've ever received for one of my pieces already (though that can be blamed on my former tendency towards OCs and obscure fandoms.) Glad you're enjoying it though._

_Nma5: Well, they met this time around! Hehe, they may get along eventually, but I think there's bound to be some tension between a technical pacifist and an assassin, you know? _

_Daichilover: your theory on Kaoru's eyes is pretty close. I'm guessing this chapter probably explained things a little bit more. I'm glad you liked the interactions between Hiko and Kaoru; they were fun for me to write since they don't really know each other all that well in canon._

_Aryy: Thanks a lot! Hope this chapter was everything you expected._

_J Luc Pitard: Yeah, I could have been a bit more clear on that. Him leaving and her arriving actually happened around the same time. If Hiko's house is a day's travel into the woods, then there was a total of 2 days between Kenshin's departure and Kaoru's arrival. I was telling the story from two different ends, so perhaps they didn't seem to match up as I had intended. As for the puppeteer thing, I think they're in denial. ;-)_

_Nagasasu: Lurkers are welcome, too! I like reviewers better though, because then I can single them out creepily like this and talk to them. Heehee. Anyway, glad you emerged into the sunlight long enough to feed my ego by saying nice things. Pretty sad that that's all it takes, but I'm a person of simple pleasures. :P_


	6. Chapter 6: Reflected

Chapter 6: Reflected

_If you would convince a man that he does wrong, do right. But do not care to convince him. Men will believe what they see. Let them see. _

_-Henry David Thoreau _

* * *

Aoshi examined the stack of official documents- mostly stolen- that lay in a meticulously-ordered pile on the table before him. Reports on troop movements, manpower losses, and captured territories, all arranged by organization and chronology.

But what was it all _saying?_ That was the real problem. His eyes wandered over the top paper again- the only one not in its proper place. If this document were to be believed, then the Oniwabanshu may soon get what they had been working for all this time.

Aoshi wasn't one for optimism- he believed it tended to cloud one's vision of reality. All the same, the news that certain powerful, formerly neutral politicians were planning on choosing a side at last was heartening for several reasons. First of all, many of them were men that his subordinates had worked with at one time or another. In other words, while they may be selecting a side, they were actually quite neutral ideologically, and would therefore choose as a unit to avoid further strife. The amount of support that one of the opposing armies was about to receive would be enough to change the game, perhaps even decisively.

_It's not the ideal solution, but I suppose someone has to win._ The question now became which side to choose. The dark-haired man's eyes narrowed as he pondered the possibilities. It wasn't unlikely that he would be asked his opinion at some point, due to his neutral status and the sheer amount of information that his organization was able to obtain. Rather than making his decision clearer, though, knowing as much as he did just made it harder. Neither of the sides had what could be described as the moral high ground, and that was what politicians always sought to claim. They both had their dirty secrets, not the least of which was the employment of masters of torture and hitokiri, assassins that would never appear in their public images. The rumors were worse even than that, but the paperwork only proved so much before speculation was required.

Practically, he would probably choose to align with the rebels, simply because, for the most part, they had popular support. Such was usually the case when the war was between the realities of the established and the promise of the novel. For a while at least, a Meiji-run government would enjoy the people's favor.

_Of course, none of it's really new at all…_ Aoshi carefully set the paper atop the stack and leaned back slightly, eyes hooded as he attempted to relax himself into the meditative state he had been retreating to with increasing frequency of late. Such techniques were among the most useful for martial artists, as they allowed for self-evaluation and restfulness that such warriors were not likely to find amidst the strife of the battlefield or the situation room. Unfortunately, that very same peace also made it dangerous, and he knew that he should not be so heavily reliant on anything, let alone something like peace and quiet, so fleeting and hard to come by. Why then, was he content to drift in his own thoughts, and leave the outside world so far behind him?

"Aoshi-sama!" Misao's excited shout and the rapid knocking that followed wrenched him thoroughly from his musings.

Straightening and filing the errant paper back into its place, he replied calmly. "Enter."

The door quite nearly flew open. "Aoshi-sama! Sano and Kaoru-chan are back!" Her grey-green eyes fairly sparkled with enthusiasm. Frankly, Aoshi wasn't sure it warranted _that _much glee, even from Misao. Perhaps she believed that this meant the girl Kaoru had passed some kind of test. _Then again… perhaps she has. _The knowledge did little to ease his doubts about the young woman.

"Aoshi-sama?" Apparently he had been too long in thought, because Misao was watching him with something approaching concern, brows furrowed, a slight downward tilt to her mouth.

"I will hear their report," he replied, choosing to answer a different question than the one Misao was implying. He watched as she nodded and left without another word. The intervening silence seemed long and unusually oppressive. Perhaps this was simply due to the contrast between itself and the energy and uncontained vibrancy that Misao seemed to bring wherever she went. _Hn… what an odd thought. _His mind really was wandering in too many strange directions, it appeared.

The door slid open again, and the kunoichi veritably bounced back in, followed by a more sedate Sano and Kaoru. If he would have normally dismissed Misao at this point, he refrained, and so the three of them sat before him in a line.

"Sano," he said, indicating that the younger man was to begin.

The spiky-haired youth was chewing on what appeared to be a straw of some sort, and he spent a few more moments doing this before he clasped his hands behind his head and closed his eyes. Accustomed to such pauses, Aoshi made no comment.

"The mission was successful," he said slowly, cracking one eyelid. "But there were some complications."

"Complications?" Aoshi prompted.

Sano's hands dropped from behind his head, and he used one to scratch his jaw line. "The doc was targeted, all right, and by an Isshin Shishi strike squad at that. Frankly, we're lucky we're not all dead."

He paused to allow the news to sink in, and Aoshi, though he would not show it, was quite taken aback. He had guessed that a person like Doctor Takani would be a target, certainly, but not an important one. Certainly not one you sent an elite force after. _What were the Shishi thinking?_

"Tell me everything that happened, in order. Leave nothing out."

* * *

Kaoru sat silently as Sano recounted the story of their mission up until he began helping the doctor treat patients on the day of the attack. He kept shooting stray glances in her direction when he spoke, though she made no effort to break into his telling.

"The rest, I think, the missy'll have to tell ya." Kaoru shifted uncomfortably. She wasn't exactly sure she was okay with that, since she had no idea whether she had taken the right actions at all. Still, Aoshi and Misao were looking at her, the former neutrally, and the latter expectantly.

"Well," she began, inwardly cursing herself when her voice shook slightly, "after Sano went to help Doctor Takani, I followed Megumi outside. I lost track of her for a second-" here she flushed slightly, embarrassed, "but then I spotted her by the fire. She didn't look happy, and she threw something into it. After she left, I fished it out. It was part of a letter, but I could only make out some of the sender's name…" she trailed off; the next bit was going to be uncomfortable, and she was desperately hoping Aoshi wouldn't ask.

"And…?" the expectation was clear in his voice, his stare level and unwavering.

She squeezed her eyes shut, taking a deep breath before opening them. "Takeda," she said softly. "The name was Takeda."

When she had told Sano about the incident afterward, he had explained what happened to four of the Oniwaban's most experienced members by Takeda's hand, back before the organization had really taken root, when the two of them were still kids and Aoshi himself scarcely more than that. Back then, it had been just a small group of shinobi, who hired themselves out as spies and warriors. After being betrayed by a client, Aoshi returned to Kyoto with a new purpose: to end the war. On what grounds he had made that decision, Sano hadn't said, but Kaoru had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with bringing down the people who were using war as an excuse to hide misdeeds and make money. People like Takeda.

As expected, Aoshi stiffened, and the tension in the room became palpable. Even Misao was clearly uncomfortable. Deciding swiftly to brush over the matter by hiding behind ignorance, Kaoru plowed on. "I didn't know who that was, and I knew I couldn't ask Megumi-san, so I decided to ask Sano about it the next time I saw him. Megumi-san was asleep, so I decided to take my own rest at that time. I woke up to the Isshin Shishi attacking. I engaged their hitokiri, and we were fighting when Takeda's men showed up, too." Unsure how much she should reveal unprompted, she fell silent.

For a long time, nobody said anything. Then, Sano broke in, "You should know, Aoshi. They sent the Battousai."

Aoshi's head snapped up in the most sudden motion Kaoru had ever seen from him. "The Battousai?" he repeated carefully, eyes narrowing dangerously.

Sano nodded. "The missy here took him on, and managed to hold him off for a bit. When Takeda showed up, though, he took down a couple of the Shishi guys. I convinced the rest of them that we'd better go find their boss."

The wheels were clearly turning rapidly in Aoshi's head. "So you worked with the Isshin Shishi to eliminate Takeda?" there was a faint note of incredulity to his tone, as though he couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. Not that Kaoru blamed him. She was still having some difficulty believing it herself.

"The one called Battousai and I fought through Takeda's men to reach him," Kaoru replied softly. "He is now the prisoner of the Isshin Shishi. We brought back one of his men."

Something strange passed across Aoshi's eyes, but it was gone before Kaoru could properly identify it. _Perhaps he wanted Takeda himself? No, surely he is not that consumed by vengeance..._ "I see. Did you discover why Takeda's men had attacked you in the first place?"

Kaoru's face hardened. "Yes. Takani's daughter Megumi-san was being forced to make a highly-addictive strain of opium for him." The swordswoman had to fight to keep her voice as impassive as possible; the fact that the crime lord had been threatening Megumi's father as a way of extorting opium from her struck a nerve.

She watched for any reaction, but Aoshi appeared unsurprised. Turning to Sano, he asked, "Did you bring her back with you?"

Sano shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah. She's pretty messed up about it, but she's agreed to give you all the information personally. Apparently, she had refused to keep making it, and the letter was a threat from Takeda himself. How he found us so fast, I dunno. Maybe the delivery was late." He scratched the back of his head.

Kaoru watched as Aoshi's eyes met hers again. "Is there any more information you can give us on the Battousai?" His tone was a little off, as though he were asking her not for the information, but something else.

The swordswoman cast about for something to say. She knew his name, but for some reason, she was reluctant to share it. Why, she couldn't say, but somehow it felt like she'd be betraying his trust to do it. _Don't be stupid, Kaoru! He doesn't trust you, he wants to kill you! But, he took the sakabatou…_

At length, she answered. "He's stronger than I am," she said slowly. "And yet he let me live."

Aoshi's eyes narrowed. Clearly, this was not the answer he'd been looking for, whatever that was. "The Battousai never fails to take out a target," he replied. "If you made yourself one by challenging him, you'd do well to watch your back."

She nodded firmly, and along with Misao and Sano, stood and bowed to the okashira, who had waved a hand to indicate they should leave. "Dismissed. Misao, see that Takani Megumi is taken care of. I will meet with her tomorrow."

"Yes, Aoshi-sama!" With a bright smile that didn't quite reach her eyes in light of the troubling news, Misao followed the other two out.

* * *

The Battousai sat against the wall in a private room at the inn which served as his residence. Not that he was often here. In fact, were the circumstances ordinary, he would have been out on another job already. He had seen the black paper with his name on it, and the name of his target- Kiyosato Akira- sitting on Katsura's pile of documents. Katsura had told him that he was passing the assignment to someone else.

Well, that was the polite way of putting it- and Katsura was nothing if not maddeningly polite. He had been so during his entire interrogation of the Battousai. This, however, was no obstacle to imparting that the hitokiri had failed, and that failure was not tolerable. The swordsman closed his eyes, and the images forced their way into his consciousness.

_When the Battousai had become angry enough to ask the reason Takani needed to die anyway, there had been some sort of strange look in his commander's eyes that he could not place._

_ "'Why' is a question you have not asked me in a long time, Himura," he had said slowly, absently shuffling papers about._

_ What the intention behind that statement had been, the Battousai could not begin to guess, and so he had remained silent, at which Katsura sighed. "Fine. If you truly want to know, the orders came from higher up than I. The doctor has been known to publicly defy the will of the Emperor by continuing to heal those who would oppose his return to power. Does this suffice?" At the Battousai's continued silence, he shook his head, and his tone grew fatigued, as though he were a man much older._

_ "I certainly hope it doesn't. But then, I suppose that is not our judgment to make," his voice lost its weariness as quickly as it had appeared. "The contract has been removed for now. Nevertheless, Himura, I do believe that your next mission will not go as this one did. Am I understood?"_

_ The Battousai's eyes narrowed at the latent threat. "Of course."_

_ "Oh, and about that samurai you fought. Should you see him again, kill him. Anyone who can survive a fight with you, whatever the reason, is a problem." At this, Katsura looked back down at his work, a clear sign of dismissal._

And so the Battousai found himself in his quarters, not particularly relishing the idea of going back today and receiving a replacement assignment. The hitokiri's hand brushed the peculiar sword the girl had given him at his side, and he contemplated his lie. Surely, it would have been easy to tell Katsura that his mysterious opponent was a woman, and working with a known member of the Oniwabanshu, a small and rather irritating group that maintained a militant neutrality in defiance of everything everyone else fought for. But he hadn't. Laying the expertly-forged blade over his crossed legs, one hand absently traced the gold-colored chasings on the hilt and saya. On impulse, he drew it about six inches, and turned it, observing the reflected light on the bladed side. He caught sight of part of his own visage: golden eyes, the few locks of flaming hair that strayed into his face. Dissatisfied, he angled the sword so that his image disappeared and the sunlight from outside instead hit it, turning the entire blade a bright silver.

Studying the resulting metallic sheen, he was reminded of the girl. Unbidden, her likeness swam into clarity within his mind's eye. She was holding the sword that was the twin of this one in hands that she forced to be steady, and yet there was no fear in the moon-bright silver eyes, only resolve.

He still wondered at it. She had to have known she couldn't win, and still never once did she falter or surrender or beg for mercy, unlike so many of his victims.

Something about that bothered him. He couldn't put his finger on why, but somehow his lack of an answer was no surprise. So many things about the events of that particular evening made no sense. Why hadn't he killed her? Why hadn't he killed _Takeda?_ That one, at least, had deserved it without question. No, in the end, he had deliberately disobeyed orders. He should have finished what he started, but he had not. Whenever the Battousai searched his mind for answers, all he found was that selfsame image of the first person since his teacher who hadn't looked at him as though he were some untamable beast. Even Katsura had that look sometimes, though he hid it well. _Could I…?_

A cloud passed over the sun, and the reflected light dimmed, leaving him with the image of his own face once more, golden eyes dulled somewhat in the absence of a fight. _No._

Standing, he resheathed the sakabatou with a decisive click. Such a thing was impossible. If it had not always been, then it certainly was now. He wouldn't go out of his way to find the swordswoman, but if he did chance upon her, she would die, and so would her annoyingly confusing existence in his head.

He leaned the sakabatou against the wall, fully intending to leave it there. An assassin did not need a weapon that could not kill. Still… it was the finest sword he'd ever encountered, much better than the one he carried now. And it was not without potential for lethality. Certainly a second weapon could not hurt. If an enemy managed to take it, well, no major loss.

With this rationalization, he slid the blade behind his katana in his obi. Turning on his heel, he headed for the door. Katsura may have given away his assignment, but there was always another one, and right now, the last thing the Battousai wanted was free time to think.

* * *

Megumi Takani regarded her surroundings with some trepidation. The inn was a finely-crafted one, and it buzzed with the homey atmosphere of the restaurant downstairs. She heard the voices of waitresses, cooks, and customers faintly through the floor of her second-story quarters. Kaoru hadn't hesitated to give up her own room for Megumi's sake and take up residence with Misao for the duration of the young doctor's stay.

Megumi had given all the information she could think of to Shinomori the day before, but apparently they were keeping her around for just a little longer, until they could confirm that none of Takeda's old associates would be after her. Her father, refusing to be held anywhere, had simply marched out when he was done talking, and since he was judged to be in relatively little danger, they had let him pass.

Frankly, his daughter was unsure he'd come back for her. The look he'd given her at her tearful confession to Shinomori was full of hurt, eventually replaced by a withering coldness that turned her heart to ice. Not that she begrudged him that; indeed, she'd been dreading much worse. She had been trying to protect him, only to betray him and everything that he had taught her about medicine. _I failed, _she thought bitterly.

She glanced down at the object in her right hand with a barely-audible sigh. Megumi knew her father still loved her, and would take her back if she asked. Just as surely as she knew that she would never ask. To burden him with her dishonor like that… she still had enough pride left to make that impossible.

So, what was there for her now? In the space of a week, she had nearly lost everything, only to lose it again, in a different way.

As she sat in silent contemplation, slowly sinking deeper and deeper into herself, the voices around her became less distinct, until they faded away entirely. _It really is a beautiful inn… _she thought slowly. _Such a waste. _Somewhere, a desperate part of her was screaming that this was no time to be worried about décor, but she listlessly ignored it. Tightening her grip, she raised the dagger to head height, clutching it with both trembling hands, as the hum of voices slowly became audible again. She thought she recognized one, but pushed the thought away as inconsequential. _Father… I'm so sorry._

* * *

Sano was worried. He would have expected the fox-woman to have eaten something by now, or at least have appeared from her room. He had been asking everyone he encountered, but when none of them had been able to provide him with a satisfactory answer, he had simply extended his ki-sense.

Sano prided himself on being better than most at this particular trick; his range was even better than Aoshi's. Immediately sensing Megumi in Kaoru's room upstairs, his eyes widened as he read her intent. Killing, but nobody was in that room except- _shit!_

Leaping up the stairs three at a time, he slid open the door with a loud _bang,_ and lunged forward just quickly enough to catch the naked knife blade in one hand. Ignoring the sharp stinging where it cut into his hand, he wrenched the thing out of the lady doctor's numb hands.

"Just what the Hell do you think you're doing!?" he yelled furiously.

The woman looked down at her now-empty hands with a strange look on her face. "Why did you..?

Sano was livid. "Why did I what?! Stop you? What's wrong with you? Don't you realize how much trouble we've all been through to keep you alive? And now you want to go and make everything for nothing, is that it?" The youth slammed the knife into the wooden windowsill, burying it at least four inches in.

This, at least, seemed to produce some reaction in Megumi, and the ghost of a frown crossed her face. "What do you know?" she asked quietly. "I'm disgraced. I betrayed my father, and I can never be a doctor again."

Sano had to restrain himself from punching the wall. "What you did," he ground out between gritted teeth, "is save that old man's life. And what's this about not being able to be a doctor again?"

Unable to meet his eyes, she instead fixed her own on where the knife protruded vertically from the finely-crafted wood. "I've sullied my hands. I see that now. I'm not worthy of being a doctor. I'm not even worthy of being alive." Her voice was completely devoid of all feeling, face blank.

His injured hand reflexively tightened its grip on the knife hilt, heedless of the blood that this forced out of his wound and down the blade, soaking into the wood beneath. Megumi, however, seemed transfixed by it. For some reason, her body began trembling violently, though her eyes never left the crimson rivulets.

"And you think dying is gonna make up for that?" Sano growled. "I hate to break it to ya, but that ain't the answer, lady. If you really wanna do something about all those people you hurt making that stuff, you gotta do it the hard way." His eyes narrowed, barley more than slits devoid of all their usual warmth and merriment.

Apparently caught off-guard by his statement, she looked at him for the first time in their entire exchange, almost flinching when she saw his expression. "You… you think there's…"

He held her eyes, and was inwardly relieved that she was actually listening to him at last. "There's always another way," he said, certainty infusing his every syllable. "When people have given you a chance at living, you better respect it." His mind flashed briefly to Captain Sagara, and then Gensai, Kaoru and the Oniwaban. All of them had helped him at times when he didn't think there was any redeeming himself. Now, it was his turn to repay their kindness.

"How?" Megumi seemed startled at her own question, and he allowed one of his trademark grins to creep onto his face, eyes regaining their natural quality: humor, confidence, and just a trace of maturity.

"Why don't you start by working as a doctor for the Oniwaban?" he suggested casually, then shrugged. "If you'd prefer, there's a doctor I know in Tokyo who'd take you on…" he trailed off, and looked at her sidelong, expectantly.

The fox-woman was regarding her hands again. Just as Sano was about to say something else, she looked up at him. "I think… I think I'd like to stay."

His smile only got wider. "Great. Now all we gotta do is clear it with the boss." He pulled the knife from the sill, frowning absently as he regarded his bloodied hand. He looked for all the world as though he were only just noticing his injury.

Her face took on a distinctly more troubled frown than the one he was wearing, doctor's instincts reasserting themselves now that the numbness had receded. "You're not going anywhere until I get a look at that hand. Honestly, how irresponsible of you. Couldn't you have just grabbed the hilt or something?"

Sano stared at her in disbelief. "Me?! _I'm _the irresponsible one?!" he choked out, "I'm the one who… the least you could do is thank me!" he huffed, crossing his arms before remembering that it might not be a good idea to touch anything with his sliced fingers.

She didn't miss the slight wince that this produced. "Thank you? Why should I be thanking you for anything? You burst in on me without even knocking, and then you destroyed my windowsill!"

He was about to retort, but when he caught sight of the sly grin on her face, he decided he'd let it slide. After all, that was thanks enough, right?

"Sanosuke…" Megumi hesitated as she cleaned his wound.

"Yeah?"

"Could you…?" her voice was quiet, and there was an uncharacteristic note of pleading in it.

Sano shook his head. "This'll stay between you and me, don't worry, kitsune."

* * *

"Come _on,_ Kaoru! Don't make me drag you!" Misao called impatiently over her shoulder, a smile on her face despite the frustration she was trying to affect.

Kaoru shook her head. The two had just gotten done with practice that morning, and already Misao was bounding off to the next thing. Where _did _she get all that energy? Not that the reason the swordswoman was dragging her own feet had anything to do with fatigue.

"Well, hurry up! Don't tell me you aren't excited! This store's gonna have something, I know it!" the ninja exclaimed, grabbing one of her friend's hands. "How long has it been since someone took you shopping, anyway?"

"Not long enough," Kaoru muttered, grimacing. When she'd moved into Misao's room, the girl had wasted no time in going through her clothes, disappointed when all she found were a few gi and hakama, all but one of those borrowed from someone. The only outwardly visible feminine article Kaoru had to her name was the indigo ribbon from her father.

At this revelation, Misao had immediately planned today's excursion, promising that she would have at least one nice kimono ordered by the end of the day. Three stores later, and Kaoru was doing her best to put off buying anything, though she wasn't sure how much longer she could manage it. "Say Misao?"

"Yeah?" the other girl asked absently, running her hands over variously-colored bolts of silk, settling on a oddly familiar shade of pink. "How about this one?"

Kaoru shook her head, remembering white plum blossoms with distaste. "Who's paying for this?" she asked suspiciously.

Moving to the blues, Misao looked up. "Oh, I just told Aoshi-sama to take it out of your paycheck." Her eyes lingered on a bright kingfisher color that Kaoru personally thought would suit her friend better than herself.

Kaoru's eyes widened. "You _what?_" she choked out.

Misao grinned as if nothing were awry. "He agreed that you need to have something to wear so you can fit in. Like me," she replied, gesturing to her own pale yellow garment.

"How can you stand wearing one of those? You can hardly move in them," Kaoru whined. Unfortunately, what Misao was saying made sense, and they both knew it. Only since she had left Hiko's home had she realized how strange women in her profession really were. The Oniwaban were definitely the exception, and even they were only about twenty-five percent female, including noncombatants. Neither of the regular armies allowed women save as nurses. Even Megumi would have been demoted.

"Aww, it's really not _that _bad," Misao reassured her. "Well, actually, it kind of is exactly what you say. But, sometimes it's fun, too, you know?" Misao's hand flew to the back of her head, something that Kaoru recognized as a gesture indicating something between abashment and nervousness.

She didn't get it. "Fun?" _How can something so annoying as that be fun?_

"Yeah, you know, when you're dressed like this, people underestimate you. It's useful. And the look on people's faces when you say something 'improper'… it's hilarious." As if to prove her point, the kunoichi giggled.

Kaoru cocked a suspicious eyebrow. The first part sounded somewhat believable at least, but the rest of it wasn't holding much water, and she thought she knew why. "You sure it has nothing to do with _Aoshi-sama?_" she asked, the name a perfect imitation of the voice Misao used when talking to the okashira.

The kunoichi squeaked and slapped a hand over her friend's mouth. "Shh! There are people around here who _know _him!" she whispered frantically, eyes darting to all corners of the largely-unoccupied shop.

Kaoru couldn't help but stifle a laugh from behind the hand. Misao released her with a glare, and Kaoru humored her by dropping her voice as well. "I wasn't aware it was supposed to be a secret," she teased. At the mortified look on the other girl's face, she continued. "Relax, I don't think he knows. He doesn't strike me as the type to notice that kind of stuff."

Misao's face fell somewhat. "Or me," she said softly, and Kaoru was alarmed by how unlike her normal self she seemed. She had assumed the green-eyed girl had merely taken a shine to her leader, but it appeared to her now that it ran a little deeper than that.

"Don't tell me you're giving up already?" she chastised. _Come on, Misao… _

The girl met the challenge in her voice just as she had predicted. "Of course I'm not! Makimichi Misao never gives up!"

The swordswoman smiled. "Now that's what I like to hear."

Misao returned the gesture with a wide grin of her own, but the expression soon took on a sly cast. "So, Kaoru, now that you know my secret, care to share?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes inwardly. Misao was even less subtle than she was, and that was saying something. Feigning ignorance, she put on a confused expression. "What?"

But her energetic companion wasn't having any of it. "You know what I mean. Any special men in your life, hm?"

Kaoru snorted. "Hardly anything like that." She really didn't want to have this particular discussion. Why, she wasn't exactly sure.

"Oh? Not harboring any feelings for Sano?" the other girl probed.

The only response to this question was a gale of laughter. "What?" she asked, slightly put-out.

"Sorry," Kaoru answered, trying to straighten her face. "It's just that the thought never even crossed my mind. I've known Sano since I was twelve, and he's just always been like my brother, you know?" She shook her head empathetically, still somewhat amused.

Misao nodded understandingly. "C'mon. There has to be _someone _you're interested in…"

A pair of molten-gold eyes flashed across Kaoru's mind, and she fought the image back with no small amount of confusion. _What the-?_ She shook her head, putting it down to the fact that she had nearly died. Certainly, that was enough to explain the occasional appearance of her would-be killer in her mind, right? _Surely, the timing's not important._

"Nope, I'm afraid not. And don't look at me like that. I haven't been here too long yet." Now she was _certain _she'd rather be talking about anything else.

Misao shrugged, and turned back to her examination of fabrics. "Whatever you say." Frowning down at the bolts of silk, she continued. "Hmm… we'll have to order you something, but you really do need to wear something else _now, _too… what about that one?" She pointed, and Kaoru followed her gaze to a gold kimono embroidered liberally with shining white flowers.

Glad of the change in topic, Kaoru nevertheless grimaced. "No way. I'll look like a geisha, for heaven's sake. Pick something simpler."

Misao sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "You're no fun, you know that? Fine, what would _you_ pick?"

Kaoru picked up the challenge in her friend's voice, but there was no way she was taking the bait on this one. "How about… that?" she asked, gesturing to a medium-blue garment with a small wave pattern along the bottom.

"I swear… no guts," Misao sighed. "but it's your money, I guess. Now pick a color for another one, and it better not be blue!"

Kaoru rolled her eyes and ran them over the bolts critically. The truth was, she had no eye for this sort of thing at all. "Umm…red, I guess."

"All righty, then!" Misao replied chipperly, snatching up a bolt of scarlet silk before Kaoru could say anything about it being too bright and taking it over to the counter. Talking swiftly to the seamstress, she handed over some money, and Kaoru could do little but watch in trepidation. Hopefully, the spy knew what she was doing.

"All done!" she called, making her way back over to Kaoru. "Now, let's go get you changed, and then we'll go see Kyoto, okay?"

* * *

On the way back to the Aoiya to do just that, Kaoru followed Misao through the crowds lining the main footpath in the city. She certainly remembered what it was like to be in a crowded location, but this wasn't quite the same. There was the usual hustle-and-bustle as people went about their business, but underneath it all ran a current of anxiety that Kaoru found troubling.

She pursed her lips as her fingers found the hilt of her sakabatou, touching it as if to reassure herself that it was still there. They had taken a risk simply by going out with Kaoru dressed like she was, but Misao had reassured her that at a distance, she would probably pass for a boy anyway. _Still not sure that's a good thing… _Kaoru didn't have a great deal of vanity, and had certainly never thought of herself as too pretty, but even she drew the line somewhere.

Still, there was an advantage to it. Slipping through the crowd unnoticed was easier than expected. No one seemed to take notice of the two as they ghosted through the masses of people, at least until Misao smacked into someone in an alleyway.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, kid!" she shouted, but the boy was already hurrying away.

Kaoru had seen the interaction from a few feet away, and was well aware of what had actually happened. "I don't think so," she murmured, sticking out a foot. As predicted, the dark-haired boy tripped and crashed to the ground.

"What the hell was that for, busu?!" he shouted, dark eyes flashing.

She had fully intended to handle the situation calmly, but decided that that just about did it. How many people were going to insinuate that she was ugly in one day? It seemed she had reached her limit. Kaoru's eyebrow started twitching, and Misao, recognizing the danger sign, stepped in between them just before the swordswoman exploded.

"Who do you think you're calling ugly, kid?!" She maintained her control well enough to refrain from brushing past Misao, and she thanked years spent in little company save Hiko and Sano, both of whom seemed to like barbing her, for teaching her more patience than she'd ever let on she had.

"Now, now, Kaoru," Misao began, holding her hands up in front of her. "I'm sure he didn't mean anything by it…"

"He stole your purse, Misao," Kaoru said flatly, glaring over the ninja's shoulder at the boy, who couldn't have been more than thirteen.

Misao's eyes flew open. "What?! Why you little! I oughta…" swinging a fist at the kid's face, she adjusted when he flinched and snatched the satchel out of his hand. "Gotcha!" she sang, sticking her tongue out.

Opening his eyes when no blow connected, the boy stared down at his now-empty hands with some degree of trepidation. Just as he opened his mouth, Kaoru cut in. "Hey, Misao, you think the Aoiya might feed this kid dinner?" All trace of anger had dissipated from her tone. There was just something about how he'd flinched; as though he'd been expecting a blow, but was resigned to it rather than afraid. Yes, something about this situation definitely did not sit well with her.

Misao's expression changed almost instantly as she considered it, going from slightly puzzled to understanding. "Yeah, I'm sure we could do that. What do ya say, kid? We'll just pretend this whole thing never happened, okay?"

The boy, who had lowered his gaze to the ground, stood with shaking fists clenched at his sides, unresponsive.

"Hey, you all right?" Misao inquired, concern etched on her face.

The boy's head snapped up, and he glared at the two of them with undisguised fury. "I'm not a kid, so stop calling me that! I'm Myojin Yahiko, descendent of a noble samurai family, and my ancestors would never forgive me for accepting charity from the likes of you!"

Misao seemed dumbstruck, but Kaoru was just livid. "And _what,_" she intoned, trying to keep her voice neutral, "do you think your samurai ancestors would think of stealing? Is that more honorable than just asking? Refusing to accept help when you need it isn't strength, it's the worst kind of weakness, and you shame your name to think otherwise!" Despite her best efforts, she ended at full volume even as the boy's face grew redder at her.

"What would you know, busu?!" he huffed angrily. Before she could respond, he had taken off, and her mouth snapped shut, eyes darkening slightly with worry.

"I swear, kids these days," Misao sighed, pocketing her purse once more.

Kaoru would have laughed had the situation been different. As it was, she smiled slightly. "You sound like such an old lady when you say that, Misao."

The girl's eyes twinkled mischievously. "Do I now? Just how old do you think I am, Kaoru?" There followed a silence, long enough that Misao grew uncomfortable, as Kaoru regarded her with raised eyebrow, questioning both the relevance and intent of the question.

"Well, it's a secret, so I'm not going to tell you!" the ninja winked, but when she noticed that Kaoru had started to stare off in the direction the boy had run, she sobered somewhat. "Does it bother you that much?" she asked quietly.

The swordswoman shook her head. "Something just seems… _off _about it." She couldn't shake the image of Yahiko flinching away from her mind.

Misao shrugged carelessly. "He's probably a war orphan. Sometimes, they make a living by stealing. Probably works for some small-time gangster. It's not great, but you can't save them all."

Kaoru met her eyes then, and Misao almost recoiled. It seemed she had been a little too cavalier in her choice of rationalization. Her friend's face was hard, a flinty quality to the look in her eyes. "Maybe not… but I can help one, can't I?" she asked quietly.

Misao decided she liked the look. It was a little scary, but once she realized that Kaoru was not angry at her, she felt a grin spreading over her face in response. "You wanna follow him, see what's up?"

"Yeah… I think I do."

"Kaoru-chan, I like your style."

* * *

_~Kiku's Corner~_

_Hello again, everyone! Before I get to the review responses this time, I have a question for you all. Yes, the readers are being consulted about the direction of the story. Gasp. Don't you feel special? You should, since you guys all rock._

_Anyway, I was wondering if I should take some time to develop a few secondary plot threads. The main plot obviously deals with Kenshin, Kaoru, and the war. Secondary plots would be based off of little details like Aoshi's need to escape reality by meditating, his grief, and Misao's thoughts on the situation. Another one would probably be Megumi finding validation in the new chance she's been given. I could also deal with Sano trying to get stronger, since I imagine he has some issues with the fact that Kaoru (and the Takanis) could have been killed and he would have been unable to stop it and so on. I may eventually be able to give Yahiko a side-story as well. In short, I'd be adding more drama, a little angst, and the occasional funny (or the best approximation of funny that I can manage, anyway) moment or two. I enjoy secondary character development, but it would involve majorly lengthening the story, and naturally taking some emphasis off K&K, at least in terms of relative chapter-space. Even though I'm using the others now, it is still mainly to advance the central plot, you know? Let me know what you guys think, should you have an opinion._

_Thanks to everyone who helped make this chapter a reality: Beth (even though you haven't gotten me your edits yet lol), the readers, the reviewers (16 for the last chapter! Holy crap, it's a personal record!) and lastly, my muse, who gets last mention for being such a flighty, inconstant little expletive._

_~Kiku~_

_

* * *

__**Responses:**_

_Pterion: Thanks again for the encouragement. I think the Battosai's character is pretty open to interpretation, depending on where he is in his chronology. He didn't just go from being Hiko's student to a ruthless killer, and he won't just magically revert either, you know? I thin I'm sticking him closer to Kenshin than full-on Battosai, though he still hasn't figured that out. ;-)_

_Caseyedith: Thanks! I have to admit that Kenshin probably would have been an adorable child. Red hair and huge purple eyes? Yeah. Also, thanks for the title ideas! I'm not sure about "Twin," it makes me think like someone has a twin or something. As for the other one… hmm… I'll definitely consider it. Perhaps I should decide which of my themes/motifs is the really important one. I think I might have a few too many. Colors, eyes, swords… meh. And I hope Hiko didn't come across as too drunk! To me, he's someone who likes the sauce a bit too much… but only when he's depressed. He had some when he found out that Koshijiro died, and then some when Kaoru left, too. It was kinda supposed to be parallel, not a sign of alcoholism lol. And the fire was on purpose, and thanks for the spelling notes!_

_Daichilover: I'm glad you liked the K/K moments. I have to warn you guys though- I'm kind of a fan of the chase, and keeping characters oblivious and/or questioning what the heck is wrong with them to think about this person that way for as long as is feasibly possible given their intelligences and personalities lol. So don't expect the romantic subplot to go anywhere too fast… I'm evil like that._

_LimeGrass: You know, I considered it. But I came to pretty much the same conclusion as you… or at least, Kaoru did!_

_JD: Why thank you! ^.^_

_GeckoHawaii: I have clearly not read enough fanfic to know if I'm remaining original or not, so feel free to point out if I veer off too far into things that have been done. Otherwise, I hope you're still enjoying it (you reviewed chapters 2&3, but I figured I'd post the response here.) Also, thanks for the suggestion, I was kind of leaning in the direction of something like that. I hate titles, too. I hate summaries even more._

_Aryy: I blush. Truly, that was some compliment, and I thank you for it. Hopefully this chapter does not disappoint, even if it is less action-y._

_Sharebearsx: Lol, I wouldn't have thought "cute" was the right word for it, but I'm glad you think so._

_JMai: Daijobu yo. __日本語を話せますか。__Lol. Anyway, don't feel obligated to review every time (though that makes me super-happy). Yeah, Aoshi is… interesting. The whole "meditation" thing may be a subplot if people are inclined to want it, but either way there are still issues lingering here. But you're right. Misao and Okina have a lot to do with why he's not completely insane. If I do give him a plot thread, I don't think Kaoru will necessarily be his wake-up call, as you put it… though I think I can see them reaching some kind of friendship based on the fact she would be able to sort of "get" him without asking him to explain too much, since she's pretty good at dealing with people who have poor social skills (aka, Hiko). Lol. I'm glad Kenshin-as-Battosai made sense, too. So many challenging characters! I love it!_

_GinsengH: I've left you without even one guess? I'm not sure how to take that, lol. I don't think Kenshin's quite there yet. It's going to take some time before he changes in any permanent way, and hopefully this chapter was indicative of that. Thanks for keeping me honest on that one, though. It made me rethink some timing issues, and the plot's better for it, I think._

_Iflip4dolphins: Glad the AU is working for ya! It's kind of tricky to balance new stuff and being true to the spirit of the original in terms of characters and such. And there will certainly be more Kenshin as the story progresses. You didn't think I was gonna have him run off with Tomoe or get killed or something, did you? ;-)_

_Flaming-amber: 0.0 I'm kind of floored, actually. Um… thank you? I'm really not sure how to respond to a review like that. I'm honored to be the recipient of such a rare review then, and this author will try her best not to disappoint. Not much action in this chapter, but hopefully some character development will hold you over, ne? More fights in the next one._

_Kao-Misao1728: It was pretty long. Probably the second-longest single chapter I've ever managed. And in a week, which for me is pretty crazy. Glad you liked it. Updates should be weekly, though I'm an hour or so late 'cause I'm doing these responses, and I have to think about them. I love having reviewers so willing to help a writer out! And don't worry, I won't leave this unfinished. That's a promise. _


	7. Chapter 7: Scarred

Chapter 7: Scarred

_In a world full of people, only some want to fly._

_Isn't that crazy?_

_-Seal, _Crazy

* * *

The two followed the boy for what seemed like hours, ghosting along pathways as though they weren't even there. And indeed, they might as well not have been, for it seemed that none present paid them any heed whatsoever. Misao was rather pleased with herself at this; she had made it a point to teach Kaoru how to move not only quietly, but unobtrusively as well, and the other girl seemed to take to the lessons with none of the haughtiness that samurai usually displayed for a ninja's art.

_And why should she? _Misao knew that Kaoru was practical enough to appreciate the skill for its usefulness, and in return the young ninja had learned a few tricks in case she should ever get caught in a one-on-one with a fully-armed opponent.

She flashed a grateful grin at her the swordswoman across the alley, who merely looked at her with puzzlement. Of course, she wouldn't know why the kunoichi chose this moment to express happiness of any sort.

The situation certainly hadn't called for it. They'd spent the better part of an afternoon following the boy Yahiko around, watching him pick pockets. Unfortunately, he wasn't very good at it, and usually either outright failed or was immediately suspected. A few tense times, the two of them had felt the need to melt into the crowd and "accidentally" block a pursuer simply by being in the way. This usually led to protests, but Kaoru, who allowed her fringe to obscure her face, had simply let off a little intimidating ki, and the stranger would murmur an apology to "samurai-sama" and beat a hasty retreat.

Misao personally had found it kind of funny at first. Anyone who knew Kaoru understood that she posed less danger than most varieties of insect, and yet people saw a sword and were intimidated. Kaoru herself was less amused by how easy it was to frighten them.

"Don't you see, Misao? This is how easily cowed they are. How awful must it be if everyone with a sword is presumed to have bad intentions?" she had asked in a frustrated whisper.

The green-eyed girl's response had been to shrug. Such things were just a part of the way things were right now. No use worrying about how people saw samurai; better to end the war that was doing them actual damage. If Kaoru didn't learn to let things go, she was going have an aneurism one of these days.

Amusement had faded swiftly to boredom, though, and Misao had begun to wonder if the kid did anything other than make bumbling attempts at thievery all day. Thanks to his unrealized assistance, he'd surely accumulated enough to eat for a few days, which was usually enough to satisfy the thugs that hired these kids, too.

Just as she had been about to abandon the whole thing as useless, evening had led the kid down a series of alleys and into the red light district. Walking past brothels and bars- both well-lit and clearly more shady- as though they weren't even there, he had come to stop in front of a decrepit-looking hovel that might once have been a teahouse.

He stood there for a few moments, and the sounds of drunken revelry gradually drifted outward to the ears of his shadows. Misao could hear what sounded like overly boisterous songs, laughter, and unless she missed her guess, someone losing the contents of their stomach. _Aw, nasty! _She thought, shuddering slightly, making wide eyes at Kaoru, who stood pressed against the wall of an unlit building, occasionally stealing glances around the corner at the boy. Misao herself was crouched behind a pile of shipping crates.

At catching sight of her face, Kaoru smiled slightly and shook her head. Misao was about to mouth something in her direction when Yahiko stirred ahead of them. Both women's eyes immediately snapped to the scene, and they watched as three men, all large, armed, and, judging by their stumbling gaits, extremely inebriated, emerged from the front of the ramshackle building. The one in front was loudly recounting some story, sword resting absently across his shoulders.

Catching sight of Yahiko, the man sauntered over towards the boy, covering the ground in long, lurching strides, coming to stand so that the eerie red lights backlit he and his cohorts, casting their silhouettes over the now visibly-trembling pickpocket. Misao signaled a question to Kaoru: should they move in? The swordswoman shook her head in the negative, and so Misao settled back on her heels, crouching so that she could just see around the crates.

The leader stared down at the boy for a few moments, as though trying to remember something. He must have found the vital information through the drunken haze, because there was no confusion in his too-loud voice when he spoke.

"How much have you brought me, kid?"

* * *

Yahiko did his best to remain stonefaced as the intoxicated thug loomed over him. He could smell the sake on the guy, even though he was still probably three feet away. He carefully reached into his pockets and removed several purses. It had been a much better day than usual today for him; though he'd run into trouble a few times, he'd managed to escape without too much trouble. _Maybe I'm getting better at this. _He wasn't sure if this was a good thing or not.

Truthfully, that lady's words had cut him pretty deeply. He knew what he was doing wasn't right, but then she had to go and say it like that. _Dad… I'm sorry. _But there was little choice left to him now.

The man's callused hand swiftly snatched up the satchels. Hefting them in his left hand, he sneered down at Yahiko. "That the best you can do kid?'

The pickpocket swallowed. It was always worse when the boss was drunk. Fixing his eyes on the ground in front of him, he willed his anger to subside. _I can't… not now. _

"Are you listening to me, whelp?" The words were slurred, but the anger in them was unmistakable. Yahiko nodded mutely, hoping the guy would just get tired of berating him and leave. It seemed such was not the case though, when the voice plowed on. "I guess you don't really care what happens to that little girlfriend of yours do you?"

That had done it. "You hurt her, and I'll… I'll kill you!" When all four men merely laughed at this, Yahiko cast about for something, anything, to use. Settling on a good-sized metal pipe laying a few feet from where he was standing, he lunged towards it, rolling to come up in his best approximation of a fighting stance. "No more!" he yelled, "I won't let you hurt her anymore!"

* * *

Misao was about to jump out herself if Kaoru didn't give the signal soon. Upon hearing the boy's proclamation, the jerks had just laughed some more, and told him to put down the pipe if he knew what was good for him. The lady ninja knew there wasn't much time before the men made good on their threat.

She shot another hard stare in Kaoru's direction, and the swordswoman nodded. The two left their relative hiding places at the same time, careful to make enough noise to be noticed, standing shoulder-to-shoulder to block the quickest way out.

The two Oniwaban members were indeed immediately noticed; four obvious leers and a few lewd comments later, Misao had abandoned any notion of just asking them to hand over the kids. Oh no, she was going to _enjoy _this.

Kaoru, who had been blushing furiously, nevertheless managed to hide her embarrassment when she spoke. "I suppose we'll have to leave one of them conscious for interrogation, right Misao?"

The latter sighed, though a near-malicious grin was spreading across her face. "I suppose…" she shrugged. "Darn rules, always ruining my fun."

Kaoru snorted in what might have been an attempt to suppress laughter, but all further communication was cut short when the head honcho started talking again. "Well, boys, what do you say we punish this brat and then have some fun, eh?"

Yahiko, who had turned to see what was going on, appeared to be distracted by their appearance, and noticed too late that a sword was descending towards them. "Sorry, kid, but we don't got much use for a thief what can't even steal!"

Misao was in the middle of deciding that taking so long to attack hadn't been a good idea when Kaoru _moved._ Indeed, that was the best word for it. It was too sudden to have been running in the typical sense, and too slow for anything else. Her sakabatou was unsheathed and blocking the attack before the criminal launching it had even registered any change at all.

"Lesson one," the samurai said, glancing down at the petrified youth, "never let down your guard." A flash of steel, a broken collarbone, and the man was down for the count, the woman who had felled him moving smoothly to intercept the one guy who had recovered enough to draw his own blade.

Misao grinned, then realized with a start that she'd better get moving if the wanted in on the action. Pulling a couple concealed kunai from the obi of her slightly-modified kimono, she launched herself at the nearest opponent, striking arms, chest, and head in a flurry of movement with the flats of the blades. No need for deadly force here; these guys were no real threat to anyone.

Bringing the handle of the knife down atop the dazed man's skull, she took a moment to examine her surroundings. The kid was trying to stave off the last guy, and so she moved in and pinched the vein along his neck that would send him straight to sleep, jumping out of the way to avoid his fall.

Her first opponent was still awake, though barely, and Misao placed a foot on his chest to keep him down. She felt Kaoru walk up beside her, and shot her friend a sly look. Locking eyes with the now-terrified petty crook, she smiled her best weasel smile. "So… are you gonna tell us who you work for, or are me and my knives going to get to have some real fun?" she drawled, angling one of her kunai so the light from the nearby streetlamps glinted off the steel.

The man swallowed audibly, and the kunoichi could have laughed. Where was their bravado now? She had no intention of _actually _torturing him, but he didn't have to know that.

"P-please," he stammered at a pitch a few octaves too high, "d-don't, uh…"

"I do believe she's waiting," Kaoru broke in. Clearly having caught onto Misao's game, the thumbed her sakabato loose in its sheath, wearing a bored expression and looking lazily at Misao, who was still smiling like a maniac for dramatic effect.

"K-Kurogasa! We work for Kurogasa!" the response was barely more than a squeal.

The ninja tilted her head sideways, widening her eyes just a bit. "Hmm… Kurogasa… that sounds like a fake name to me. How about you?" she asked her partner.

Shrugging casually, Kaoru replied in her best imitation of Aoshi-level calm. "It does at that…"

The poor fool's eyes flew open, and he was hasty to speak again before they could decide he was useless and kill him. "It is! But, I don't know his real name, none of us do. They say he used to work as a hitokiri, but has gone rouge recentl- pleasedon'tpointthatatme." His interrogator was impressed that he managed it all in one breath, and stopped slowly moving the knife closer to his face.

"One last thing," the gi-clad woman intoned flatly. "Where is the girl?"

"Girl?" he looked confused. "Oh, her! All prisoners are kept at Kurogasa's warehouse across town. Umm…" he wasn't sure they were going to like what he had to say next, but figured it was better to tell them than have them figure it out later and then come back to punish him.

"What?"

"Thing is… Kurogasa don't keep too many prisoners for too long, if ya catch my drift."

"Yep, gotcha!" Misao's shift to a peppier version of psycho must have lulled him into a sense of security, because he seemed to relax a little. The point was moot, however, because he went entirely limp when she gave him another good whack over the head.

"What do we do with him?" Kaoru had dropped the act entirely, and was looking at Yahiko with undisguised concern. The kid had taken the news that his friend was probably dead hard, and was now sitting on the ground, clutching his knees to himself, looking utterly defeated.

Misao grimaced. "Let's get him back to the Aoiya. Aoshi-sama will want to know about this Kurogasa guy, and he looks like he needs something to eat anyway. We can't do anything else tonight."

The other girl nodded, and without another word, walked over to the trembling boy and offered him her hand. He looked at it for a few seconds, then took it and stood, following them as they left the unconscious men behind.

* * *

The Battousai watched with disinterested eyes as the man fell, clutching in vain at the vital artery in his neck, now gushing blood at an unquestionably deadly rate. Stepping over the body, he ignored the small twinge at the edge of his awareness, instead flowing into the next succession of katas as another Shogunate soldier stepped up to fill the place his comrade had left.

So many had he killed already, nameless soldiers whose faces he did not care to remember. Yet, he knew that each one was burned as an afterimage into his brain, fuel for ghostly conjurations of his sleeping mind.

Slicing through flesh and bone, watching as expressions froze in twisted caricatures of mindless terror, all of this was automatic. It required no thought, no real presence of mind. This was no challenge, no true battle for him, merely a grim necessity. And so he observed the crimson trails running down the length of his katana without once wondering if the blade would eventually stain that way.

At least, that had once been the case. Now though, each kill seemed to be filling a space in his consciousness, as though slowly working towards some unknown quota. What happened when that number was reached, he could not say. The Battousai knew only that with each felled opponent, the niggling sensation grew to encompass more of his experience, until it was all he knew. His body moved automatically, destroying them with no less perfection than he had before, and yet his mind was completely consumed. Something was threatening to burst, to make itself known, and though he knew not why, the Battousai fought it with all he had.

As the battle progressed, he found himself cutting a path through the enemy ranks towards the commander. The soldiers here were no more skilled than their fellows, and there was naught else to do but slice through them all. It seemed the battle was turning in the rebellion's favor; the men threw themselves at his mercy with increasing desperation.

Someone, at least, appeared to finally understand what he was doing, because he was confronted next by a group. Coming to a stop, he allowed all twenty to surround him, swords drawn. One of them yelled something, but the Battousai had ceased to hear the sounds of the battle a long time ago. Indeed, it was as if everything was moving through water, save himself, so slow and silent did it seem.

They struck in tandem, but it was of little consequence. He lashed out at the first man faster than anyone could see, severing his sword arm with a quick, practiced stroke. He could feel the others coming in behind him, but knew that the suddenness of what he had just done would be enough to make them hesitate. Using that time, he launched himself into the air, bringing his sword down crosswise so that it went through three of those who'd been at his back moments ago. Turning to face the rest, he was largely unsurprised when he observed that the fear and hesitation on their faces and in their ki had increased exponentially.

"O-oni," one of them whispered. "Demon!" He and several of the others turned and fled at the speed only the truly desperate reach. The Battousai let them go; cowards were beneath his notice. It was not they he had been sent for anyway.

The few that remained were no more of an issue than the others, and in mere moments, the Battousai was hacking a hole in the command tent. To his surprise, only one man was within: his intended target. The man was about thirty-five, young for someone of such high rank. He was seated as though he were meditating, and did not look up even as the tent collapsed around him. Only when the wreckage had subsided did he spare the Battousai a glance.

"I see… so you are the one they have sent to kill me." It was not a question, and the Battousai did nothing to acknowledge it, merely watched his opponent levelly.

There was no mirth in the upward tilt of the man's mouth, rather, he looked almost thoughtful. "Very well. I will fight you, slayer of men, and see how well my grandfather's style fares against a blade such as yours." At this, he stood, stepping over the snapped poles that lay on the ground, and came to a stop about ten feet from the golden-eyed assassin.

The Battousai's eyes narrowed as he took stock of the commander. Given the war his mind was waging with itself at the moment, this might be harder than he had anticipated. The man was certainly fearful of him, and rightly so, but it was not the mindless fear that caused men to run like rabbits. Rather, it was an adrenaline-laden fear that, when used skillfully, could sharpen ability to threatening levels.

The red-haired samurai knew all of this, and yet could barely force it into his waking mind, strained as it was with what was now a splitting headache, surely the result of trying to suppress whatever was threatening to break loose. Even now, shards of images were flickering over his thoughts, images of battles old and new, of people better forgotten.

The first exchange was fast, but the Battousai found himself being more cautious than was usually his wont, for surely any lapse in his concentration would loose the images entirely. His opponent, by contrast, was much more the aggressor than he would have expected, and the exchange ended with the hitokiri driven back at least five paces from where he had stood.

The commander was now eyeing him warily, same thoughtful expression on his face. "You are conflicted, manslayer. I can see it in the way you hesitate. Surely this is not all the legendary Battousai has to offer?"

The Battousai still said nothing, but simply stared the man down. Without warning, he struck. Though his blade was parried, his opponent was thrown almost entirely off-balance, recovering in barely enough time to hold off the following series of heavy strikes.

Leaping back, the man managed to pivot and reverse his momentum. Knowing that this would be the final pass, the assassin swiftly sheathed and redrew his sword, applying for the first time that day the full measure of his inhuman speed.

It seemed that this had been a mistake. Though the force with which he propelled himself forward was more than enough to carry the strike through to completion, it had taken enough of his concentration that memories now flooded his mind, pictures from battlefields bathed in blood, men lying prostrate beneath him. After each sequence, each _repetition,_ he saw himself, coldly flicking the blood from his katana, before the next set of tortured screams began.

A voice from behind broke into the stream. "I hope that you find your answer, manslayer." There was an exhalation, which sounded almost relieved, and the muffled _thud_ of the commander's body contacting the ground.

To the Battousai's surprise, even as his opponent fell and the images renewed their assault on his mind, he was vaguely aware of a wound opening up on his face, from the bridge of his nose to the end of his cheekbone. Had he really been so careless?

There was little time to consider that or anything else. His head was pounding, and soon he found that he could no longer keep his balance. He stabbed the sword into the ground as he fell, holding onto it for support as he was accosted with a new onslaught of fragments of his own existence. This time, he heard more than saw them.

_O-ni… Demon!_

_ The hitokiri Battousai!_

_ No… no please!_

_ You heartless bastard!_

_ 'Why' is a question you have not asked me in a long time, Himura…_

_ If I have to explain it to you, you'll never understand, baka!_

He struggled violently against his own demons, willing them to leave him in peace, but the tide of guilt and pain was relentless, and so he had no choice but to give himself over to it and hope that it would soon cease. Suddenly, the voices stopped, and he was brought to stand on a more recent battlefield, one he had visited not long ago. The burning in his mind eased, and he felt cool relief flood his senses. This time, there were no shouts, no screams, only a single speaker, heard through a slight haze of time and distance, as though this were a memory of a dream rather than a reality.

_ Who are you?_

_ He trained you to be a samurai, not an assassin, of that I am sure._

_ Farewell, Himura-san…_

He was realeased, and his eyes snapped open. How long had he been kneeling here like this? He quickly stood, and pulled his katana from the earth, sheathing it smoothly. His hand brushed the hilt of the second sword he was carrying, and he froze. _Himura-san… how long has it been since I've been Himura? _The Battousai didn't know, and that troubled him for some reason. Why should his kills be bothering him now? The last time he had worried overmuch about taking lives was when he had first begun his work over four years ago. So why should those initial reservations surface again now?

Himura Battousai moved his hand from the second sword and headed for the edge of the field. He should probably get the cut on his face looked at. It would likely scar anyway, but he cared little.

* * *

"Aoshi-sama! Aoshi-samaaa!" Misao's voice called.

Aoshi started, having not heard her coming, but swiftly recovered. Had his trance really been that deep?

Misao appeared from around a corner, expression all eagerness and spirit as usual. She wasn't going to like what he was about to say. To his surprise, Kaoru followed a short way behind, bearing a far more neutral expression.

Resigning himself to the unpleasantness that was to follow, Aoshi gestured for them both to sit near him on the covered porch behind the Aoiya. The polished wooden floors shone with proper upkeep, and the garden which it overlooked was in a similar state of good maintenance. It was the flowering plants in the middle ground that Aoshi kept his eyes steadily on as Misao began to speak.

"Aoshi-sama, you said you would make your decision today." He could see from the corner of his eye that she was regarding him with something nearing reproach; it was true that he'd avoided telling her of his choice, though he wondered why. Surely it should have been just as easy for him to tell Misao as anyone else, so why had he chosen not to do so?

Putting the thought aside, he broke the news without preamble. "I will send a group to the warehouse once we have enough spare people to handle it."

Misao's reproach swiftly changed to disappointment, then frustration. "But, Aoshi-sama, why can't you just send Kaoru and I? Sano could come too, and the three of us should be able to sneak in, rescue the girl, and get out again," she protested.

Aoshi allowed a slight frown to crease his face, which immediately silenced her. "Sanosuke has other duties to attend to at the moment, and we will need more experienced people when the time comes," he replied flatly.

"So you don't think I'm strong enough then, is that it?" Misao couldn't seem to muster her usual energy; the statement sounded flat and defeated. Aoshi said nothing, and after a few moments, she got up wordlessly and went back inside, closing the door a tad too forcefully.

There was a momentary silence. "I suppose you wish to protest as well?" he asked at last.

"Not as such," Kaoru replied. "But, there are a few things I am surprised you do not see," she continued evenly.

Aoshi cast a glance in her direction; she was sitting a few feet from him, facing out into the garden just as he was. "Oh?"

"She's much stronger than you think." The swordswoman began simply, still staring straight ahead.

"Even if she is, that doesn't mean she wouldn't be killed by a rouge hitokiri."

Kaoru sighed. "Nor does it mean that she _will._ I understand that it is not your desire to see her harmed, but is it not a leader's duty to put his people to the best use possible? To select them for the tasks they can succeed at?"

Aoshi's eyebrows furrowed. "It is also my duty to see that they stay alive."

She turned, and her eyes bored into the side of his face, willing him to look at her. He did, and was surprised to see an understanding there that he would not have expected. "You can't be everywhere. I understand that Misao is special, I do. But I also think that by trying so much to protect her from everything, you will drive her to place herself in more danger than she would otherwise."

He thought on this for a moment. _Special? Yes, I suppose she might be. _Misao was, after all, one of the few people who had known him before the Oniwabanshu, before the deaths of his most trusted men. Was that the reason he detested the idea of sending her out into the field?

Still, he didn't understand the logic. Kaoru must have picked up on this, for she elaborated. "I fully believe she intends to go anyway, with or without your permission. You can't have her watched at all hours of the day, so she _will _manage it eventually, most likely alone."

"And what do you propose I do about this? I cannot acquiesce to this idea. It would be irresponsible of me to allow her to go by herself," he replied, a slight note of admonishment in his tone.

"Then don't. Let her sneak off, but let me go too. If you can't give us your permission, give us the information. Tell me when the guards change so we can sneak in and out before they notice us. Give her a chance to prove herself to you. Surely you must know how she feels by now." The last was accompanied by a pointed look, and Aoshi sighed inwardly. Misao had hero-worshipped him ever since they were children. For the most part, that was what he liked to think she did now. Deep down, though, he knew that Kaoru was right, and cursed himself for allowing it to happen. He should have pushed her away when he had the chance, but somehow he had been unable to.

"Fine. Misao will do what she chooses with her own time, and I'm assigning you to guard her wherever she goes for the next three days."

Kaoru flashed him a smile. "I'll protect her with all I've got," she promised, rising and bowing before leaving him to his thoughts.

* * *

Katsura Kogoro was more than surprised to see the bandages on his hitokiri's face. Himura hadn't sustained many injuries since his first missions. Katsura had known that the Shinsengumi captain he'd assigned the youth was a good swordsman, but couldn't help but feel that some other factor had been at play for the young man to come away with such a mark.

Nevertheless, he did not comment as the assassin gave his report, though he sensed that some details were missing. Ordinarily, he would have asked after them, but he chose not to in this case. He was actually hoping that the Battousai's injury might be the sign of a breakthrough.

When Himura had come to the Shishi at the age of fifteen, Katsura had been dead-set against hiring him. The idea of mere children as soldiers repulsed him, but the boy's skills had been impressive enough that his considerations had been overridden by his superiors.

Needless to say, when the teenaged assassin had returned from his first few missions with obvious signs of shock and trauma, Katsura had been saddened, but unsurprised. He had watched as the starry-eyed, idealistic boy had transformed into what seemed on the surface to be a cold, emotionless killing machine. Truly, though, there was no doubt that Himura Kenshin was still in there somewhere.

It was why he had been secretly pleased when the hitokiri had asked him why someone had to die. It was that kind of question that he wished he heard more often, no matter how hard it might be to answer. Katsura was just as displeased with the Shogun's regime as the next revolutionary, but unlike most, he was an advocate of using the hitokiri only sparingly. Too many of them ended up with too much damage for such a tactic to be completely justified in his mind, and he was working as much as he could to keep the idealistic young man inside the Battousai from being just another victim of the manslayer's cold wrath.

"So it was all taken care of then? Good. Your next assignment is a traitor: one who once walked in our midst, but chose to give information to the enemy. His name is Jin-e, but he is better known as Kurogasa." Despite his desires, Katsura could not allow any piece of his plans to keep Himura from losing himself to reach the man himself. For now, he just had to hope that whatever had affected the hitokiri the first time he'd refused to kill would continue to do so. _I wonder if that second sword has something to do with it?_

"Where is he now?" the question brought Katsura back to the present.

"We aren't sure, though rumor places him in Kyoto. You could probably reach him in a day or two."

"I understand." With that, the assassin executed a swift bow, turned on his heel, and exited.

_Himura…_

* * *

_Kiku's Corner_

_Hello again, everyone, and welcome to this week's author's notes! As you have probably noticed, I changed the title. Someone suggested 'Silver and Gold,' and while I liked the idea of including Kenshin in the color motif of the title (since he is a main character, obviously) I didn't want to just call it that, since it didn't really fix the issues I had with the title as it was. I think the "Alchemy" bit serves the purpose of describing the fact that there's a reaction going on between the two of them, one that will prove transformative to both… Sorry for rambling; I tend to overthink things like this. Pay no mind to the ramblings of an author, ne?_

_I'm not terribly fond of this chapter; I think some things came out weird. Maybe that's just me though. The scene where Kenshin kills that guy and goes all post-traumatic stress disorder was hard, but hopefully you guys got where I was going with it (you're all pretty smart people from what I can tell, so I'm sure you did). Hopefully it didn't seem too OOC either; I figure starting to regain your conscience would make murdering people kind of stressful, you know? _

_Anyway, thanks are due to Beth the Wonder Beta, as well as all the readers._

_~Kiku~_

_

* * *

_

_**Review Responses:**_

_JasmineBlossom625: Ah, someone new! Glad to hear from you, and thanks for taking the time to drop a review. I think parallels are one of my favorite literary devices, probably to the point where I overdo it sometimes._

_Kikiyoou: Why thank you! I certainly have no plans to stop until the end, so don't fret about that._

_Aryy: Hehe, I just love messing with characters' minds. I think it's a pretty sadistic tendency lol. But anyway, I'm actually interested to see how it comes out too, since I always change things as I go. Usually it's because I write something and realize a character would totally do something else instead, so it's definitely an unpredicatable process!_

_GinsengH: Thanks for the feedback, and I tend to agree with you. Yeah… I'm not a huge fan of love triangles. I certainly think it's possible for the same person to fall in love more than once, but since I set this during the Revolution, I kinda had to choose either Kaoru or Tomoe to avoid ugly entanglements and a plot cluster-you-know-what. The choice for me at least was pretty obvious lol. I'm glad you like the quotes; some of them are song lyrics, but I think they all kind of apply to the story, if not the specific chapter I pair them with._

_Caseyedith: Why thank you again! There wasn't a great deal of subplot in this chapter, but you could read the Aoshi bits that way if you wanted. I think the Aoshi/Misao relationship is interesting; it can be interpreted a number of different ways. Hopefully everyone's okay with my take on it. And I love writing POV switches, so it's good that you like reading them lol._

_Daichilover: Thanks for the input; I think I've decided to go with it, but we'll see what comes out when my muse gets his rear in gear and gives me some subplot-y material, ne?_

_Flaming-amber: Heh, I can't help but feel a little intimidated when I know people expect things of me. That goes for all my reviewers. I think it drives me, though, so it's a good thing. The thing I like most about the series is that the characters are all very real and human. Even when they're racing around at "god-like" speeds or slicing people in half, there's an element to each of them that draws me to them somehow. I've kind of tried to play up certain traits that I think get overlooked without making them OOC. For example, I think Sano's far more mature than most people give him credit for, Aoshi's far less certain of himself, and Kaoru's much stronger (not physically, necessarily, but emotionally/mentally), and so on. Then again, Sano still has to be a dork, Aoshi can't randomly start crying, and Kaoru can't win every fight without a struggle, you know? Feel free to call me out if it gets stupid though._

_GeckoHawaii: Who doesn't like Misao? Admittedly, she's a bit too genki sometimes, but it's part of her charm, and a big reason she's such a good foil for Aoshi (and to a lesser extent, Kaoru). Glad you like the AU, it is hard to strike a balance with canon sometimes, but I try._

_Cherry Dragon: Yeah, messing around with the ages is weird for me too. I'm still not sure how old Misao is lol, which is why I lampshaded that in the last chapter. She could be anywhere from 15 to 20, really, though she's probably at least Kaoru's age, which is almost 17 by this point? Maybe? Eh, I'm not that good with time, and hopefully it's not a bit deal either way. Thanks for the review!_

_Pterion: No, Kaoru's not un-pretty at all, but if you think about it, she would have no way to know. She's been raised by Hiko since she was like 12, and so probably has no reference point. Yahiko's just a bratty kid, which is why he calls her ugly lol. And don't worry: with or without subplot, this is still very much a story about Kenshin and Kaoru._

_JMai: Haha, don't be sorry about it! You're a Kaoru fan too huh? I know some people think she's clingy or annoying or whatever, but I never really saw it like that. To me, she always seemed like a selfless sort of person. You'd have to be to let so many people freeload off you and call you names all the time! _

_Jenni: Hey, thanks a lot. You're in luck, I suppose; so far I've managed to update every Friday. Hope you liked this one too!_


	8. Chapter 8: Saved

Chapter 8: Saved

_The highest and most beautiful things in life are not to be heard about, nor read about, nor seen but, if one will, are to be lived._

_-Soren Kierkegaard_

_

* * *

_

"Yahiko! What did I tell you about that left foot of yours?" Kaoru barked for what seemed like the hundredth time.

The boy groaned and mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like "busu."

"What was that?!" she yelled. "Want to say that again, _little Yahiko_?" She knew the barb would hit home, and was inwardly gratified when he rose to the bait.

"Don't call me little!" _Little?! Why I oughta… _with this, he redoubled his efforts, doubtless to show her what he was made of. His eyebrows furrowed together as he concentrated on the basic kata she was making him practice, and she could have laughed at the intensity of the expression. _He's a little bit like me._

Kaoru had immediately recognized the danger of keeping the young thief around with nothing to do. It was far too likely that if left to his own devices, Yahiko would just make some foolish rescue attempt on his own. Aoshi was inclined to agree, though he had no time to see that the boy was occupied. Kaoru had offered to make the energetic kid useful to his companions by teaching him something of her style, and the others were only too happy to put him to work doing odd jobs at the restaurant. This way, he stayed out of trouble and was doing honorable work to earn his meals.

She let a small smile creep onto her face even as she continued to correct his form with terse comments. _Who'd have thought I'd end up teaching my father's style to anyone? _It seemed, though, that the Kamiya Kasshin-Ryu was perfect for this situation. It required no deadlier weapon than a simple shinai, though she'd probably promote him to a bokken in a few years.

_A few years… I'm already making plans like that. _Though the thought was unexpected, it was far from unwelcome. Perhaps in those few years, this cursed war would finally be over. Maybe, when all was said and done, she would return to her father's dojo in Tokyo. It seemed… right somehow.

"Watch your balance!" she called. When Yahiko merely grunted and adjusted nothing, she sighed theatrically, and gave him a light shove with the butt end of her sheathed sakabatou. He tripped, tried to right himself, and then fell straight over.

"You have to anchor yourself to the ground, Yahiko," she explained. "Otherwise, you'll never hold steady when someone comes at you."

Picking himself off out of the dirt, he frowned. "Why won't you teach me to attack from the air then?" he huffed grumpily. "Show me something cool, Kaoru."

"That's sensei to you," she responded irritably. "Look, all that fancy-looking stuff is completely useless without the basics. The sooner you master these, the sooner you'll learn the rest. Or is it too hard already?" the question was flippant, the challenge in it palpable.

"No way! Fine, I'll master your stupid basics, you'll see!"

"Good. Five hundred more of those. Oh and add thirty laps around the Aoiya for not calling me sensei." She grinned wickedly in full view of him, then turned and left before he had a chance to respond. He'd do each and every thing she'd asked for no other reason than the fact that she'd suggested he couldn't.

Picking out a secluded spot in the garden for her own practice, Kaoru began with meditation. She had yet to fully master the technique on the scroll Hiko-sensei had given her, though she could feel that it was close. She wanted to get some practice in today, because tonight was the one Misao had picked for their raid of Kurogasa's warehouse. Though she had projected confidence for Aoshi's sake- heavens knew he had enough to worry about- she couldn't shake the sense of foreboding that overtook her each time she thought of going. Perhaps she was just afraid that Yahiko's friend might be deceased already; or maybe she lacked faith in their ability to creep past so many armed guards without being seen, then sneak back with a young girl, whose condition they could not know in advance.

Either way, she needed to focus, and make sure that she had every advantage available when the time came. Ignoring the rain that was just starting to spot her face, she fell into deep contemplation, shutting out the world.

* * *

The Battousai passed through the streets of Kyoto without paying much heed to the lively activities of the markets nor the more seedy dealings of the side streets and alleys. He needed to find someplace to rest for a few hours from his journey, preferably an inn where he might also eat.

No one paid him much mind; those oblivious to ki saw only an ordinary samurai in a white gi and black hakama-since it would do little good to parade around in the characteristic all black of the Isshin Shishi- and those few who could read auras studiously avoided him.

Springtime in this area was a tricky thing, and so he was unsurprised when it started to rain. The peaked straw hat on his head was not merely for the added obscurity to his rather distinctive appearance, after all. Still, he would do well to find somewhere soon.

As if in answer to this, he noticed a medium-sized inn not far down the street. _The Aoiya…_ The sign out front indicated that rooms with meals were available, and for a moment, he thought his search had concluded. The place appeared to do enough business that he would not be especially noticed. What was more, there was no shortage of the martially-inclined among the clientele.

He probed the area with his ki-sense, though, and immediately walked straight past it. Though they hid it well by catering to warriors, that establishment was more than just an inn. Very few of the people inside lacked training of some sort, including the staff. The Aoiya was clearly a front for something, and it would be unwise for him to enter without knowing what.

Filing the information away for later use, he decided that an establishment on the bad side of town was less likely to ask questions anyway, and headed in that direction.

* * *

"I don't suppose you could be bothered to knock, could you?" Megumi sniped. Though she would never admit it-least of all to herself- she was glad to have company. His company particularly, actually.

Sano's only response was a grunt as he unceremoniously dumped the crate on the floor. The noise was a bit louder than he'd anticipated, and he flinched as it hit the ground.

Megumi sighed. "Watch it, chicken-head. There's valuable medical supplies in there."

He responded with a careless shrug, and she could not help but roll her eyes. "Is that the last one, then?"

"Yep." Sano slid lazily down the wall to the floor and he remained there as she began to unpack the crate and organize the contents onto numerous shelves. She'd been at the process for the entire day now. After she'd agreed to put her medical abilities to use for the Oniwabanshu, the group had bought an empty building a block or so away from the Aoiya, as well as all the supplies necessary to start a clinic. Of course, there were less cold remedies and more bandages and sewing needles than your average doctor needed, but such were the perils of a warrior's lifestyle and she'd thought it wise.

As she busied herself about the room, the young doctor could feel Sano's eyes on her back. He seemed content to take a break from the heavy lifting that had preoccupied him all afternoon and merely watch her. Not that she really minded; this was a game that Megumi had played before, and one whose rules she knew well.

"You know, chicken-head, you could just make yourself useful instead of sitting there and staring." She didn't even bother to look at him, though her tone was one of slight irritation. Yes, the fox was well aware of how the game worked, and she had a feeling the advantage was hers on that front.

"Oh yeah?" Sano drawled. "Knowing you, I'd screw something up and you'd throw me outta here. Just let me know if you need anything else moved." With that, he stretched himself out on her floor and proceeded to make a great show of falling asleep.

Megumi shook her head in exasperation, but she couldn't help the small smile that settled on her face. She knew he would occasionally crack an eyelid, and once she even turned around to catch him doing it. She raised a sardonic eyebrow, but the fist fighter just gave her that silly grin of his.

Frankly, she wanted to smack him. Not because he was doing anything _wrong,_ exactly, but more because she didn't understand it. The doctor knew she was attractive; it didn't take a genius to notice the fact that men were generally inclined to ogle her. She knew how to deal with that. No, the problem was that Sano didn't act like that at all. Sure, he watched her, but it wasn't a leer or anything of such an overt nature. It was as if he was simply interested in what she was doing. _Or in who I am…_ the thought was foreign enough to make her shake her head. What confused her more was that when she caught him at it, he didn't apologize or make lewd comments- the two most common responses- but rather seemed to acknowledge what he was doing and nothing more.

Men were supposed to be easy to figure out. Leave it to this pest to throw all that out the window.

"Tea?" she inquired politely, trying not to let her annoyance show.

Sano grunted in reply, and she frowned. "Excuse me?"

He picked himself up off the ground, dusting his pants as he did so. "I said no thanks. I'd better be headed back to the Aoiya. I'll come by tomorrow to help you get this place fixed up, okay?" he gestured to the rough wooden floors and the rotting ceiling beams. Not exactly a marvel of craftsmanship, certainly.

The frown unconsciously deepened, and Sano chuckled. "Don't worry, Kitsune-chan, I don't think the place will fall in on ya overnight."

She realized what her face must look like, and abruptly straightened it. What had caused her to frown? _It's not as though I'm going to miss him sitting around doing nothing. _"Hmph," she sniffed. "I just hope you know what you're doing. I wouldn't put it past you to make this place worse off than it already is."

It was a pathetic attempt at a barb, and they both knew it. He raised an eyebrow, and to Megumi's eternal mortification, she felt a faint blush rising on her face. _Damn him! _What on earth possessed her to act like this around him, anyway? _She _was supposed to be the one with the upper hand here, so how was it that he seemed to be playing a different game, one that had _her,_ of all people, blushing like a lovesick schoolgirl?

As if sensing her discomfort, Sano smirked in a most annoyingly self-assured kind of way. "You know," he said casually, "that's a good look for ya, Kitsune-chan."

That did it. Megumi was confused, and she knew it should make her angry. Instead, she was merely further embarrassed. Perhaps it was time to try saving some face. "Get out of my clinic this instant!" Megumi huffed, tossing the teacup in her hand at his head. He laughed and caught it, placing it on the nearby counter before executing a mocking bow.

"If the lady doctor wishes," he drawled, taking his exit before she had the chance to throw something else.

As soon as he was out of sight, Megumi brought her hands to her now-burning face. This wasn't good. This kind of thing never happened to her. She was supposed to be the one to leave _him_ confused and frustrated, not the other way around! This game, it seemed, was getting dangerous, and she had the sneaking suspicion that it wouldn't be long before she, at least, was playing for keeps.

* * *

Kaoru caught the signal from Misao, and moved silently to her side. The two of them had ceased speaking the moment they had "snuck" out of the Aoiya- Misao was still unaware that Aoshi had unofficially sanctioned the mission- and had reverted entirely to the Oniwaban's system of hand signs.

The two of them were standing outside what was generally suspected to be Kurogasa's warehouse. The information Aoshi had passed to her that afternoon had all but confirmed it. It seemed that street urchins were disappearing at an alarming rate from the worst areas of Kyoto, and an Oniwaban spy had managed to trace the disappearances to this place. It was unlikely that they were kept here for any great length of time, but apparently Yahiko had only been working for Kurogasa's flunkies for a few days when they met him, so there was a chance that his friend Tsubame might still be here.

Unfortunately for their operation, the moon was near-full tonight, meaning that they would be more easily spotted should any guard happen to be patrolling this place. Of course, it also meant that Misao's well-trained eyes would pick out just about anybody before that happened, but Kaoru would still have preferred it to be a little darker.

She was dragged unceremoniously from her thoughts when she caught Misao's command from the corner of her eye. Stiffening, she waited a few tense moments, and a guard appeared from around the corner. Noiselessly, Kaoru drew her blade and waited with stilled breath. As the man passed their hiding spot, she slid smoothly behind him, delivering a sharp rap to his skull that sent him crumpling to the ground.

Misao let out a small sigh. "I think we can speak now. That should mostly take care of the guards, if the numbers you guessed were right." It unnerved Kaoru how much Misao trusted her; she was glad the information really was more than just estimation.

"Right. Shall we?" The two set forward again, more swiftly than before but still with the caution that kept many a warrior and spy alike breathing when the more reckless ceased to. It was only this caution that gave them notice of the police officer's presence, and only it allowed Kaoru to haul Misao backward in enough time to save her the ill fortune of meeting the sharp end of his katana.

The man straightened, regarding them through narrowed eyes. Kaoru's hand flew to the hilt of her sword and Misao withdrew several knives, but nobody attacked. The element of surprise ruined, the man seemed disinclined to continue his assault and instead spoke in a low voice.

"Who are you? What do you want?" The voice was edged with venom, and Kaoru found that her first instinct was to get as far away from this man as possible. Dismissing it, though not ignoring it, she replied carefully.

"We're nobody important, and we seek only what is lost," she said steadily. It was more cryptic an answer than she wanted, but there was no way she was telling this guy anything.

It seemed that he knew it, because his next question was far less probative. "Do you know the way in?" Misao snorted, but the yellow eyes never left Kaoru.

"If I did, I wouldn't tell you," she bit back. Something about this man made the hair on the back of her neck stand up. She couldn't yet identify it, but it was setting her teeth on edge, and making her disinclined to give anything away, no matter how trivial.

It was the man's turn to snort, little more than an aggravated exhalation. "Let's cut the crap, shall we? I work for the Shinsengumi, and I'm here to kill Jin-e, also known as Kurogasa. That's obviously what you're after, too, or you wouldn't be here." He reached to his side, and Kaoru tensed, but he merely retrieved a cigarette, lighting it with a match from another pocket. He did not hurry to speak again, and the silence dragged long and tense. He was clearly waiting for them to confirm or deny what he'd just said.

Kaoru was opening her mouth to tell him that he could believe whatever he wanted when Misao piped up, clearly uncomfortable with the atmosphere. "Ehe… ya got us!" she squeaked. "We're vigilantes, ya see. Kurogasa captured us, but we managed to escape, and now we're back to make him pay."

While she attacked the lie with gusto, Kaoru flinched inwardly. It was far too outlandish for anyone to take it seriously. Still, the man's eyes flicked to her partner and he shrugged. "Whatever. Just don't get in my way."

_What game is he playing? There's no way he believed that. And he gave us so much information about himself. Either he thinks we're no threat at all, or he means to kill us anyway. _The swordswoman had a sneaking suspicion that it was the latter. While she had no doubt that she and Misao were being underestimated, such a man would not leave loose ends, no matter how innocuous.

It was at that point that Kaoru felt a somehow familiar ki enter her range of sense. It disappeared almost immediately, as if someone were remembering to mask it. Her eyes flicked instinctively to where she sensed it, but she saw nothing. It was only when the mysterious man followed her gaze that she realized her mistake. So instead of looking away just as quickly, she let her eyes travel over the spot and the area next to it, as though she were looking for more guards. She had a feeling she knew who was there, and something told her she'd do well not to expose the fact.

"If we're going to go, we'd better go. Never know when more guards might show up," she said, looking sidelong at the tall man beside her as if to drive home the point. This lie, at least, he seemed to accept, because not a moment later he had turned on his heel and was approaching the warehouse.

With another pointed look back, Kaoru followed him, unease weighing on her heart.

* * *

The Battousai watched as the girl pulled her ninja friend out of the way of Saito's sword with something approaching amusement. It wasn't every day someone survived an attack from the Wolf of Mibu. The exchange that followed was terse, though the hitokiri was somewhat surprised when Saito chose to reveal his purpose there. It seemed the Shinsengumi wanted Jin-e dead as well.

Of course, the moment the soldier said as much out loud, the Battousai knew that the lives of the two women were forfeit. Clearly, Saito was planning on dealing with them in much the same way as he was known to deal with criminals. From the look on her face, the girl knew it, too.

For some reason, this bothered him. Saito was probably right; the fewer people that knew about this, the better. Then there was the fact that he himself had been ordered to kill the girl should he ever cross paths with her again. It was better if she died, so why did the very thought anger him?

He must have let his ki get away from him, then, for the girl's gaze traveled in his direction. She couldn't see him of course; he'd made sure of that. Realizing his lapse, he fixed the problem even as Saito turned to look in his direction as well. The manslayer's eyes narrowed. While it would not necessarily impede his mission to fight Saito here and now, he would rather wait until he had dealt with his target. Luckily for him, the girl seemed to have a little more guile than her small friend, and made it appear as though she had been generally scanning the area. Saito, not terribly skilled in the ki-sense area, seemed to accept this, and turned to leave.

It was then that the girl turned around a second time, fixing him with a stare that said she knew exactly who he was. There was confusion written there, as well as… trust? _No, that's not right… is it? _If it was, she was more foolish than he had thought.

He absently traced the scabbing scar on his face as he watched them enter the building. Slipping in after them, he immediately ducked behind some shipping crates. Some of Kurogasa's men were lounging about at the front of the storage area, and it took them far too long to notice that three highly-visible strangers had just traipsed into their headquarters. Even when it did register, they were slow to react, as though the idea of intruders was completely foreign to them. Why were they so unworried that they might be inspected? Was the government's arm really that weak here? Or was it merely that officials were so easy to bribe?

The Battousai felt a stirring of the sort of ire he had not felt in a long time at the thought. Such a government did not deserve to rule anything. He was distracted as the ex-hitokiri's men finally gathered their wits about them and attacked. The three, who had been content to allow them to do so, split and retaliated, felling opponents with practiced ease. The Battousai was surprised to note that even the small ninja haled her own quite well; most of them were trained for stealth attack alone, with a few notable exceptions. He saw the girl flinch at the sight of Saito's katana severing limbs from bodies, and felt a painful twang reminiscent of the agony that had assaulted him on the battlefield. _Is it… guilt? _But that didn't make sense. The Battousai felt no such thing, and Himura… Himura was too far gone to feel anything. Wasn't he?

He was distracted by a small sound in his immediate proximity. Was that… crying? He cast about for the source of the sound, and came to a realization that made even his stomach turn. It was crying, and it was coming from _inside_ the crates. If he strained his ears, he could hear breathing as well, the breathing of several people. _Why would…?_

"Kaoru!" The shout caused the Battousai's gaze to snap back to the field, crates and their occupants temporarily forgotten. It seemed that the smaller woman was the one who had shouted, and with good reason. The other had sheathed her sword, and Saito had taken the opportunity to strike at her.

Without another thought, the Battousai leapt from his hiding place, employing all the speed he had to try and reach the place in enough time. He knew, though, that Saito was fast enough to beat him to it.

He had covered about half of the twenty feet between them when the girl did something that nobody had expected. She smiled. Blue eyes glinting, she reached towards Saito's blade, and, in one smooth motion, caught it between her small hands. Twisting herself around, she managed to pry the sword from the grip of a shocked Saito, and caught the hilt in her own left hand, drawing her sakabatou with her right, and leveling the latter at the Shinsengumi's throat.

For a moment, there was naught but silence. The kunoichi was regarding the scene with wide eyes, her jaw slack. Saito had recovered his stoic expression, and his eyes flicked knowingly to the Battousai. The man had just lost, so why did he look so self-satisfied?

It was then and only then that the Battousai realized that he was highly visible to everyone involved, and that the swordswoman's successful maneuver was not the only reason for her friend's facial expression.

"And so he emerges," Saito drawled. "And here I was, thinking I'd have to kill the extras before you'd show yourself so I could kill _you._ I have to wonder, though, why Battousai the Manslayer would expose himself to try and rescue someone when even godlike speed wouldn't be enough…" he trailed off absently, and looked at the girl.

The Battousai barely heard the question, though he knew well enough what it was. Bright silver eyes were asking him the same thing; he was asking _himself. _

"The girl and I have unfinished business," he replied flatly, looking not at Saito but the swordswoman. "If she dies today, it will be because I killed her." He let the implication hang in the air, and watched their reactions. Saito shrugged it off; in truth, the hitokiri knew the Wolf could probably care less. The kunoichi's face hardened from amazement to anger. The swordswoman, though, betrayed no reaction until her eyes hit his obi. Doubtless recognizing the hilt of his sakabatou, her eyes widened slightly, as though she didn't believe it. She met his gaze, and he watched as the silver in hers receded, leaving bright blue behind.

Returning her attention to Saito, she spoke, words more hard-edged than he would have expected. "I ask only that you do not make the mistake of underestimating me again, Shinsengumi-san." To everyone's amazement, she returned his sword to him, hilt-first. "I know more than one trick."

The Shogunate law officer regarded her with narrowed eyes, then flicked the blood off his blade in a practiced motion, sheathing it.

"Haijime Saito," the Battousai supplied, causing the other man to glare. His only reply was the tiniest of smirks, but it was enough to ire his long-time opponent even more, and the taller man swung to face him, hand on the hilt of his sword.

The manslayer locked gazes with him, and his own hand moved as well, but whatever would have happened next was interrupted by an impatient voice. "As much as I'm sure you'd love to fight each other," the ninja-woman began rapidly, "We've got company!" her voice ended in a squeak, and caused the two men to look in her direction.

Sure enough, it appeared as though Jin-e had decided to make an appearance at last. The back half of the warehouse was soon filled with men, and the two women already seemed prepared to begin. Sending Saito a glare that was equal parts promise and threat, the Battousai stepped between the Shinsengumi captain and the woman who'd caught his blade.

Her eyes had changed again, and she stared hard at the man who was clearly the leader. "Be careful," he murmured low enough that nobody else could hear. He was unsure what made him say it, but it seemed… appropriate somehow.

She looked understandably confused for a second, but then turned the tables by smiling brightly. "Of course. You as well, Himura-san."

He did not reply, but simply nodded. The four of them surged forward to meet the tide of men who came at them, and the Battousai felt himself reaching for his sakabatou and drawing it as though it were the most natural thing in the world. Not taking the time to consider why this was so, he instead accepted it and mowed down those who chose to stand in his way.

It did not take long, though between the men the other three had dealt with on the way in and those present now, the Battousai estimated that Kurogasa had command of just about seventy poorly-trained mercenaries.

Leaving Saito and the kunoichi to deal with the bulk of them, he and the swordswoman felled a swath of men that led directly to Jin-e himself, who by now was so caught up in the battle that he was cackling madly.

* * *

Kaoru inwardly rolled her eyes. _Are all crime lords insane? _Between this guy and Takeda, she'd had more than enough crazy ramblings and weird laughter to hold her over for a while. Nevertheless, she knew not to underestimate him. That was the kind of mistake that got your sword ripped from your hands.

She smirked a little at the memory. _Serves him right, the ruthless jerk. _It didn't take too many observation skills to notice that Haijime Saito was the only one of the four of them using deadly force. She and Himura were both fighting with sakabatou, and Misao had learned long ago the fine art of the bloodless knockout, knowledge which she was putting to good use.

Himura came to a stop, and she halted beside him. For whatever strange reason, she trusted the manslayer. It probably wasn't the wisest position to take with someone who had openly declared that their intention was to end your life, but Kaoru was pretty used to taking risks, especially in a fight. It wasn't by sticking to convention that you got stronger, at least not when you fought using the Kamiya-Kasshin. Innovation was risk, and so was trusting the golden-eyed hitokiri, but in both cases she had confidence in her choice.

It was probably a good idea to follow his lead anyway, since he seemed to know more about Kurogasa than she did. Her eyes flicked in his direction, and she watched with some trepidation as he sheathed the sakabatou. Was he going to use the katana instead? _Don't be stupid, Kaoru, he's sheathing it so he can use battojutsu! He is the __**Battousai**__, after all! _

She was aware of Misao and Saito flanking them, and the grin on Kurogasa's face widened, until she was sure it would split his face. "Oh, look what we have here. Battousai the Manslayer, the Wolf of Mibu, and two little Oniwaban, too!" Misao flinched noticeably as Saito shot them both a glance. Himura didn't seem terribly surprised. Still, she sighed inwardly. Saito knowing who they were didn't seem like the safest of situations. It seemed she could count on Himura to interfere until this mission was over, but what then?

Kurogasa moved so quickly she almost didn't have time to react. Luckily, she was near enough to Misao that it took but a moment to ensure that she was between the two when he struck. The clang of steel-on-steel rang out, and Kaoru's arms jarred. _Strong. _

The unstable manslayer caught her eyes, and Kaoru immediately felt herself stiffen. Behind her, Misao fell to the ground, apparently too shocked to do much else. She recovered quickly enough to jump back, dodging his next blow before Himura and Saito took over.

Kaoru willed her body to move, to respond to her mental commands to do anything, but it seemed all she could manage was the shallowest of breaths. She had no idea what Kurogasa had done to her, but until she did, it seemed struggling against it was mostly useless.

So she watched silently as Himura and Saito glanced at each other, and rose out of their stances somewhat. "I don't really care who kills him," Saito said flatly, shrugging, "but you'll never be able to manage it with that toy you've got." He indicated the sakabatou, and Kaoru felt the sudden urge to punch him. She probably would have, if she could have moved at all.

Himura appeared to hesitate, and sheathed the reverse-blade sword. _Pease don't tell me he's… _But his hand grasped it, and not his katana, as he fell smoothly into drawing stance.

"Ah-ah-ah," Kurogasa admonished. "Keep in mind that my spell can only be broken if I die, Battousai. If you don't hurry, the little girlie over there is going to die." He grinned, and Kaoru heard Misao gasp behind her.

The swordswoman watched with horror as Himura's hand moved to grasp instead the hilt of the katana. _No! No, no, NO! You must not kill for my sake! Damnit! _She threw herself against whatever magic held her and felt the spell crack even as Kurogasa's made to grasp his own hilt.

Himura made a half-step forward, toe angled inward slightly, and she tried once more, summoning her strength. "Don't!" she cried, but Himura's sword was already halfway drawn. She squeezed her eyes shut. "Please, don't," she murmured softly.

A few seconds passed before Kaoru found the will to open her eyes again. Perhaps Hiko-sensei had been right after all. Perhaps there really was no room in the world for the sword of a protector, and she was the only one who didn't see it.

The thoughts flew from her mind as she observed the scene before her. Somehow, Himura had managed to resheathe his half-exposed katana and draw his sakabatou in the time that it had taken Kurogasa to make only one draw. Now, both men still stood. A few more seconds ticked by, and the silence was broken as Kurogasa coughed, spewing blood from his mouth before collapsing. A small line appeared on Himura's face, neatly bisecting his recently-acquired scar. _He… he did it. _

Kaoru sheathed her own blade and looked up to see him doing much the same, heedless of the blood that ran from just below his eye down his jawbone, dripping onto the floor. Saito was busy handcuffing the still-breathing Kurogasa.

"The prisoners are in the shipping crates," Himura spoke flatly, not to her, but to Misao. The girl's eyes widened, and she nodded, running back over to the other side of the warehouse, and setting about using her kunai to pry the crates open.

"You're an idiot," were Saito's parting words to Himura as he bodily dragged the criminal onto his feet. He paused for a moment, then continued. "The war will be ending soon. The Shogun has lost, and everyone but him can see it. People are reconsidering alliances. Soon, you won't be necessary anymore. I wonder what they'll do with you then, hitokiri…"

Kaoru was both excited and mildly horrified by his words. The prospect of the war ending was wonderful, but those other things…

"You are well?" Himura's eyes locked onto hers, and she immediately forgot what she had been thinking.

"Yes. But, your face…"

"It is nothing."

Kaoru considered for a moment, then approached him to examine the wound. Why she thought that was a safe thing to do she would wonder later. As it was, she felt responsible for it.

When she tore the sleeve of her dark blue gi, he did not react. "I know a doctor, if you…" She raised the strip of clean cloth to his face and dabbed at the wound. He stiffened, but chose not to move.

"No. It will heal itself." Golden eyes bored into hers, and she lowered her arm, growing self-conscious. The wound was as clean as it was going to get for now, anyway. She noticed that the scars would form an 'X' and found herself curious as to where the other had come from. _It would probably be unwise to ask…_

"I…" she began falteringly, searching for the words. "Thank you." She stepped back and bowed deeply, her ponytail falling over one shoulder.

"For what?" he asked, and she was sure she had detected some measure of confusion in his voice.

Straightening, she met his gaze again, tilting her head a little to the side. "For saving me."

"I did not."

She thought back on it. No, he had not physically saved her life, but… _I doubted. For the first time in my life, I doubted what father told me. But he… _She smiled slightly. "No, I'm quite sure you did. Besides, you have yet to kill me, Himura-san. Is being alive not enough to be thankful for?"

Red brows descended over a bright gaze, but he did not reply. Kaoru was about to say something else-what, she did not know- when she heard Misao. "Kaoru! I've found her!"

Sure enough, a girl about Yahiko's age was with her, clasping the kunoichi's hand so tightly Kaoru was surprised Misao didn't wince. The swordswoman's heart lifted at the sight; it seemed her grumpy student would have something to be happy about soon. She felt a big, silly smile spread over her face, and turned to Himura.

"Until next time, then?" she asked lightly.

He seemed slightly taken aback by the change in her mood, but that was really only a guess, seeing as how his expression barely changed at all. A curt nod was her only reply, and she inwardly rolled her eyes. Men and their need for stoicism- between Hiko, Aoshi, Himura, and Saito, she supposed, there were just too many of them. Sano was the only well-adjusted male she knew, and Yahiko was just plain cantankerous.

She turned to meet Misao, when she heard his voice behind her. "You know my name, but I do not yet know yours."

"Oh," Kaoru said, somewhat surprised. It hadn't occurred to her that she'd never introduced herself. "My apologies, Himura-san. I'm Kamiya Kaoru. It's nice to… er… meet you?" she finished lamely.

"Kamiya…" something about that seemed to interest him, though she had no idea why. Hearing Misao call her again, she looked away.

"Just a second!" she called cheerfully, but when she turned back, Himura was gone. _Huh… well, I'm sure that's not the last of him I'll see. _Somehow, the thought sat well with her, and she found that an irrational happiness was bubbling up in her stomach. Perhaps she was just glad this mission was over.

"Well, I guess we'd better get out of here before these goons start waking up…"

* * *

_Kiku's Corner_

_Hello, again, dear readers! Welcome to the end of chapter 8. I do hope you enjoyed it. _

_Not much by way of notes this time, profound thanks are due to Beth for her edits, and to the reviewers as well. _

_~Kiku~ _

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_**Review Responses:**_

_Pterion: Lol, so many questions! I love it though. No, the commander was not Akira, just a random guy that I made up. Kenshin's scars in this story are less about who gives them and more about why. The first he got because he was uncertain and lost his resolve. The second… well, I'll let you guys guess. As for when they will meet outside of battle. Soon, but maybe not for another chapter._

_Caseyedith: Glad you like the title! I'm really flattered that you think the pacing is good; it's something I have issues with sometimes. Thanks for your continued reviews!_

_Kokoronogamu: Nice to meet you! I actually kind of like your analogy. Killing has become about as commonplace for poor Kenshin as driving is for some of us, as scary as that is. I'm glad you like the somewhat more mature Kaoru, though I think that was an element in her original manga personality as well. Hopefully there's still some impetuousness in her interactions with Yahiko and whatnot, because I love that side of her too._

_Jiyoung: Ehehe, thanks for the spelling note! I fixed it for this chapter. I know "Saito" is also commonly Romanized as "Saitou" because the lat syllable is drawn out, but I decided to leave it this way because the pronunciation is actually more accurate when read that way … meh. All a matter of taste in the end. And yeah… not a fan of "Tomoe is a superbitch" stories. Not a fan of stories where she and Kaoru are both alive, generally, though I've seen a couple done without demonizing her._

_Geckohawaii: Yay! I give someone something to look forward to! That makes me happy. I'll eventually go back and edit some of this, but right now weekly updates suck up most of my writing time…_

_GinsengH: Awesome! Glad you approve lol. Hopefully this chapter was exciting enough for ya, and there will be more Kenshin and Kaoru soon._

_Brit02: Well, I think I kind of jossed the Saito idea, but no, it really was just some guy who gave Kenshin the scar. I know I could probably get away with not updating weekly, but I do enjoy it, and it seems to make people happy, so who am I to refuse? Lol, glad you are liking the story though, and hopefully the last half doesn't disappoint!_

_Oh yeah, just so you know, we're probably about halfway through this thing. The K&K will be a lot more prevalent in the second bit, so don't worry if you're holding out for that lol. I can promise touches of A/Mi and S/Me also. Till next time, I bid you farewell! _


	9. Chapter 9: Understood

Chapter 9

_He who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities. _

_-Voltaire_

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* * *

_

Three months had passed since the events at the warehouse, and Shinomori Aoshi still couldn't shake the feeling that he was missing something.

According to detailed reports from Kaoru, Misao, and a number of his other agents, Kurogasa was a former hitokiri for the Isshin Shishi, and yet the organization had sent their best assassin after him. That much actually made sense. It would do them no good to have a man on the loose who could expose internal secrets at his whim.

What was more difficult to explain was the fact that he wound up in the custody of the Shinsengumi, and without protest from the Battousai. _What does it mean?_ Aoshi could conceive of no way in which allowing such a thing to happen would be advantageous to the rebels. If the Shinsengumi had captured Jin-e alive, then they could take as long as they needed getting the information out of him. _Unless he doesn't have anything important… but then they wouldn't have sent the Hitokiri Battousai. _

His reasoning had come full circle, and he was no closer to grasping what was undoubtedly a crucial fact. He let a rare sigh whistle between his lips. Perhaps he just needed to forget about it for a bit, maybe go meditate at that shrine again.

His thoughts were interrupted by a knock at his door, and he grunted assent. The intricately-painted rice paper and wood slid aside to reveal Kaoru, looking rather contented. _Sometimes I wonder how she manages that._

She bowed, less formally than the first time they had met, and he gestured easily for her to be seated. The speed with which he had come to trust the swordswoman had surprised everyone, none more than himself. But the justification was there: she was a strong, loyal soldier who followed orders scrupulously. That alone would have been enough to satisfy him. Yet this trust, this subtly familiar pattern of interaction, was something he shared only with a few, and it was less a product of Aoshi and Kaoru the Oniwaban as it was Aoshi and Kaoru the people. She did not ask unnecessary questions, or seem to expect any particular behavior of him; indeed, she was as content in silence as he. It made for little conversation, but a great deal of understanding. If Aoshi Shinomori was of a mind to call anyone friend- and he found himself suspiciously close to that mindset at times- his dead comrades would be first on the list, followed by Sano and Kaoru. Misao was… well, she didn't seem to fit in that particular mental category for some reason.

All things to be thought about later, when there was time and the war was done. For now, though, he brought his attention back to the immediate present.

"You have a report?" he asked quietly. Judging by her manner of dress, she'd just returned from an undercover stint at one of the city's most well-known geisha houses. Having been raised exclusively by men, Kaoru had few of the skills required for such a job, but she'd taken to dancing easily enough, and her tea ceremony was good as well. He suspected a few weeks of near-constant practice and several visits with Takani Megumi were responsible for that.

Truly, it was not his preference to waste a soldier on a spy's work, but the Oniwaban had few enough female members that all of them took the geisha shift at some point. He personally would have ended the practice years ago, but the White Chrysanthemum, frequented by the wealthy and powerful, had very strict rules of conduct for patrons and geisha alike, meaning that it was minimally risky, and an excellent source of information.

Kaoru seemed to understand where his thoughts were going, because she smiled wryly. "It's really quite surprising how much a closemouthed official will tell a harmless geisha, ne?" she asked, gesturing deftly to her heavily-embroidered green kimono.

He nodded, and she took it as an invitation to continue. "Everyone's growing tired of the war. Nobody said anything specific to me, but it's there, the undertones of the weary." She sighed delicately, and he felt the corner of his mouth twitch. She must still be in character, so to speak.

Catching sight of his face, the swordswoman grimaced and rolled her eyes. "I know. I feel like I have to get out to the practice yard _right now _or I'm going to get stuck this way. Anyhow, it's not just the mostly neutral ones, either. Everyone wants it to end. The Shogun's lapdogs are looking a little spooked, too." She gave him a look, and he knew what it meant. _He was right. _

She had, of course, included in her report of the Kurogasa incident the words the Shinsengumi soldier had spoken to the Shishi's manslayer. _Yet another piece of the puzzle that does not fit._

Kaoru surprised him with a question. "How loyal to his cause is the average soldier, I wonder?"

Aoshi caught her angle, but said nothing. He wanted to make sure he understood where she was going.

Tilting her head sideways in thought, she continued, "It seems as though those loyalties are not like the ones here. Perhaps they were formed the same way: by people with a common ideal. But what happens when that ideal no longer seems possible? Would a soldier have any reason to be truly loyal after that? Besides duty to superiors, I mean."

"I hope you do not mean to suggest that soldiers will simply choose to leave the battlefields." _Still, she might have a point. Both sides' foundations are crumbling as they confront the realities of a war that has gone on far longer than they were prepared to deal with._

She nibbled at her bottom lip, and he saw the stubborn hope in her eyes. Sighing inwardly, he chose to end the meeting. "At any rate, I thank you for the report. You should get some rest before your next assignment."

Kaoru looked as if she would say something else, but, true to form, she bit it back and stood as he did. "Of course. You should get a break here and there, too. I think Misao was looking for you…" she raised an eyebrow, and he shook his head slightly. Her expression sobered, and she shrugged wordlessly.

They both knew that wasn't something he had time to deal with right now, but there was a quiet persistence in her manner that reminded him that the matter of what to do about Misao would not just go away.

He could strategize and puzzle over political motivations all day, but this alone was something he avoided with all possible determination. Occasionally, he would wonder why, but even this was venturing too close to the topic for his liking. _I need to go meditate… clear my head._

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* * *

_

Katsura stared Himura down from behind his desk. Yes, the boy's eyes were indeed unnerving in their brightness, but there was no way the older man was looking away right now.

It had taken some time, but he'd eventually unearthed the truth, or at least part of it, from his hitokiri, and he wasn't sure if he should be celebrating or despairing.

The Shishi commander hadn't reached the position he was in today without a healthy respect for orders. Neither, though, had he ever supported the introduction of hitokiri into the ranks of his organization. Himura himself was a special case- he'd always had a soft spot for the boy. At first, he'd thought the young man would be the one to prove that an assassin need not lose his soul to carry on; after a few years, he was walking proof that Katsura's instinct had been right, that there was no way to live that life without permanent, irrevocable harm. Now, it seemed, Himura was regaining some of what he had lost.

Yet he was also in direct violation of the rules. The rules stated that any manslayer receiving a target was to kill that target, with as little loss of other lives as possible. This was why Katsura had noticed, but not prohibited, the presence of the sakabatou. If Himura wanted to avoid killing non-targets, well, that was fine by him.

But not only refusing to kill a target, but turning him over to an enemy organization- that bordered on treason, the penalty for which was a swift, merciless death.

So it was with a heavy heart that the man regarded his subordinate. "Will you not at least give a reason for your actions? Were there extenuating circumstances…" _Come on, Himura, give me something, anything I can use to save your life. _Katsura knew that there had to be some outside influence causing Himura to act so out of character, or at least making it easier.

His query was met with silence, and Katsura despaired. Closing his eyes and placing both elbows on his desk, he interlaced his fingers and sighed. _Think. There has to be a way… _It would not be long before the damn war was over, and then this progress that Himura was making would be more than welcome. Katsura cursed himself for wishing that his manslayer's conscience would have waited a bit before reawakening, if indeed this was what was happening. _It certainly seems like it, anyway._

Almost as he had given up, an idea took root in his mind. _Perhaps… that's it! _He couldn't _not _punish Himura, but that was only if he knew the result of the hitokiri's mission. This plan would mean drastic things, but surely it was the only way they could both survive this.

"Himura," he began calmly as possible, "I want you to listen closely." At the young man's nod, he continued. "What you have just done is classified as treason. Should your superiors find out, they will no doubt be obligated to order your execution. If, however, you were to lie to them, and tell them the mission was completed as ordered, it may be some time before any evidence surfaces to the contrary. As such, you could take your normal break before your next mission without interruption. I imagine that I would not call on you again for at least three days. Of course, should you not be present at that time, I would have to send a search out for you."

The hitokiri's eyes glinted, and he nodded slightly.

"Would you care to file an official report on the status of your last mission, Himura?" Katsura raised an eyebrow in invitation. It was certainly contrived, but it was this technicality that made everything else possible.

"I found the one called Kurogasa in a warehouse that he owned. I killed him after fighting my way through his men. Some of them, about a third, died. No others were present. Total casualties: fifteen, including Jin-e." Himura's voice was flat, and Katsura nodded approvingly.

"Very well. I shall see that your report is filed accordingly. I think, though, that it will take some time for verification to come in. Until then, I am granting you three days' rest. Dismissed." His own tone was just as businesslike as usual, though he had to fight to keep the pride from his voice. It seemed that, in spite of himself, he was pleased to do this for his subordinate.

The red-haired assassin bowed more formally than usual, but otherwise the exchange was ordinary. As he made to leave, Katsura spoke again. "I wish you good fortune, Himura."

Another nod was as close to thanks as he would get, he supposed. _Not that the one who made him this way deserves any more than that._

_

* * *

_

"Kaoru!" Misao's voice was a mixture of exasperation and stress that was most uncharacteristic, and her friend frowned.

"What is it Misao? Is everything okay?" she did not bother to keep the concern from her voice. If Misao was this upset, then something was surely wrong.

"No! It's not okay!" the kunoichi wailed plaintively, and Kaoru waited patiently for her to tell the whole story. Not that there was much to it. "It's Aoshi-sama! He's been at that shrine for three days straight now, and he won't come out!"

_That's odd… surely he knows he has things to do here. He wouldn't just abandon his duties here, would he? _But the look on Misao's face told her it was no joke. "Did he say why?"

The kunoichi shook her head. "No, he just up and left. Told Okina to look after things while he was gone." Kaoru's eyes narrowed as she watched her friend worry her lower lip with her teeth. Something wasn't right here.

And suddenly, Kaoru understood. This had been a problem for much longer than she had suspected. At first, it was evident in tiny clues that she had ignored: a lapse of attention here, a hazy stare there. Aoshi was losing his intense focus. _It's hard to blame him, given all that he has to do, but… _It seemed that it had at last gone too far. Perhaps the stress of being Okashira has caused him to lose himself in his past entirely, perhaps he had simply retreated into the confines of his own mind. Either way, three days was too long to be at it, and Kaoru felt a twinge of frustration.

"…I'm sorry, Misao, what was that?" Apparently, the kunoichi was waiting for some sort of answer, though the swordswoman had missed the question.

The girl flushed and looked at the floor. "I…I asked if you would go talk to him. Maybe you could make him come back…" the words were scarcely louder than a whisper.

"Misao…" Kaoru's brow furrowed, and she looked at her friend with concern. "Why me?"

The green-eyed spy met her eyes then, and there was something in them that Kaoru didn't like. Hope, yes, but underneath that… _resentment?_ "It's just… he listens to you. You seem to understand him better than…" she trailed off, and her eyes fell back to her feet.

_Oh, I suppose that explains it. But she has it all wrong! Sure, I understand Aoshi, but I'm not…_ Kaoru felt the small smile crease her lips as she raised an eyebrow speculatively. "Misao, I think you misunderstand something. It's true that Aoshi and I have a great deal in common, but I talked to him just the other day. If I was the one who could bring him back, he wouldn't have left at all."

The female samurai was inwardly satisfied when the bitterness that was so unlike Misao leached out of her expression, to be replaced by confusion. "I don't understand."

Kaoru sighed theatrically. "Look, I agree that someone needs to remind Aoshi that he has responsibilities here, and people who care about him and rely on him. But there is someone who knows him even better than I do. Someone who's been with him since the beginning, who knows the pain he's been through, but is able to get past that and live in the now."

She watched with amusement as recognition slowly dawned in her friend's expression. Misao's eyes grew wide, and a grin broke out on her face. "Of course! I gotcha, Kaoru!" Without another word, Misao dashed off, doubtless to give her leader a piece of her mind.

For her part, the swordswoman shrugged and headed out to the practice yard. It was time to instruct Yahiko. She could not keep from humming a merry little tune as she went. _And I thought __**I**__ knew nothing of affection…_

_

* * *

_

Megumi Takani entertained no such delusions. She knew a great deal of affection, and perhaps even something of love. So it was no surprise to her when she nearly lost it that day.

She had been tending Yahiko, who'd received a couple scrapes from Kaoru's training. While the boy himself was quite insistent that he needed no such thing as bandages, Kaoru was stubborn about his health. Should her will alone ever fail to suffice, the much more gentle mannerisms of Tsubame convinced him.

The fox smiled slyly to herself. The boy would do anything for his childhood friend, that much was obvious. Whether it was lingering guilt for her imprisonment or a sign of something else, only time would tell.

"There you go," she said, tying off the final bandage. "You should be good to go now, little Yahiko."

"Don't call me little," he groused, then, gruffly, "thanks." Megumi suspected that Kaoru would have his hide if he forgot his manners around anyone, and nodded her acknowledgement, watching him dash off. _No doubt to earn more bruises._

She was cleaning up the supplies she'd used on Yahiko when she heard her door slide open roughly without so much as knock and someone barged into her clinic. Turning angrily, Megumi was halfway through formulating a suitably indignant lecture when her breath caught in her throat.

Her eyes landed first on a man she knew as Katsu, the Oniwaban's explosives specialist. His clothes were torn, and by the look of his black eye, he'd been in quite the fight. His expression was stern, in contrast to the taller companion he was struggling to keep upright.

Megumi swallowed, almost afraid to really look at the next man. _You're a doctor, you fool! Grow a spine! _she berated herself silently.

Sano's appearance made her stomach turn for more than one reason. He was grinning like a fool, as if to prove he was fine, though the rest of him suggested otherwise. His lip was cut and bleeding, and that was to say nothing of the gashes on his upper chest, hastily bound with what appeared to be fragments of Katsu's bedraggled garments. Blood smeared his own clothing, as well as his face, and she hoped feverishly that not all of it was his.

Her mind snapping back into action, Megumi immediately cleared space for Katsu to aid the barely-walking Sano down. "What happened?" she asked in clipped tones, immediately removing the crude bandages and applying pressure to the wounds when she discovered they were still bleeding profusely.

"Ambush," Katsu panted. "We were set up by an informant. Damn Shinsengumi bastards got him. Had to be twenty of 'em. I let off a smoke bomb and got us the Hell out of there, but not before this idiot had jumped headlong into the fight." He shook his head, though it was clear the two were close friends, there was no denying the foolishness of such an action.

"Sounds like something you ought to report," she replied without feeling, switching cloths.

"Yeah I gotta head back, but… is he gonna be alright?" Katsu seemed to hesitate.

Megumi nodded slightly. "The wounds are bleeding a lot, but they're not too deep. I've got the supplies to take care of it, though he's going to be out of commission for a week at least." The professional doctor's voice was back in full effect, though she hoped the dark-haired man could not hear the tremble that shook her to her spine in it.

When he still did not move, she opened her mouth to say something that sounded more certain only to be interrupted. "Katsu," Sano managed, "I've dealt with worse than this before. You know that."

His friend gave a long-suffering sigh. "Yes, I suppose you have. Fine, I'll go report to Aoshi-san immediately. But you'd better obey the doctor's orders, you big idiot." Managing a weak smile of his own, he stood abruptly.

There was a weak chuckle from her patient, then Megumi watched the other man leave. "All right, that's enough talking from you," she grumped, trying to ignore the irrational fear building painfully in her chest. _I wasn't lying to Katsu. He'll recover, so there's no need to panic. _She cursed Sano for making her care far too much about someone so reckless. "You need to sit up."

"Sure, kitsune-chan." He managed a smile, and sat slowly, with Megumi's assistance. She could tell that maintaining the posture would be painful, so she worked quickly, deft fingers winding bandages around his upper torso. She couldn't help but notice that the underlying musculature was really quite… _ack, no! Stop thinking about that! You're a doctor, and he's your patient! _

But that wasn't really it, was it? Sano was far more to her than the average patient. He'd been there at the lowest moments of her life, when she felt the most useless and weak and foolish she'd ever been. He'd accepted her for what she was, told her that she was no disgrace at all. He'd believed her actions to be the right ones, and he'd understood why she had to do what she did.

Most of all, he'd been there, with his easy smile and deceptive maturity. He'd been there when she'd nearly taken her own life, and somehow convinced her that it was worth something to someone for her to be alive after all. He'd been there when she was tentatively trying to build a new existence for herself, not telling her how to do anything, but just interested in how she would make her own decisions.

As she tied off the bandages, Megumi helped him lower himself onto the ground again, grasping one of his hands and using her other arm to steady his shoulders. He laid back, eyes closing slowly, and she'd gone to get up, perhaps boil water for more cloths. His hand had tightened, though, and she'd realized with some trepidation that she was still holding it, so she'd lowered herself again to sit beside him in silence.

All this time, she'd known she felt some affection for him, but had fiercely pushed the feelings to the side. Any relationship she was in was bound to turn toxic eventually. Either the men came to take her for granted, or she wound up pushing them away by being too strong-willed or independent. She hadn't wanted to go through such a thing with Sano, hadn't wanted to care about him, only to end up bitter.

But surely, the answer had been staring her in the face the entire time. He knew who she was, at her worst moments and her finest, when she was filled with self-loathing and when she was doing what she did best. He'd seen the kind of person she was, and had accepted that. He'd been there with his steadiness and his stupid jokes, never asking anything of her, as though he were waiting for something.

_And I think I've finally caught up to him. _She at last understood. While she'd been content to play the flirtation game, he'd broken all the rules. _Because he was serious about it._ _And now… now I think I might be, too._

Yes, if anyone could love her for the fool she truly was, it would be him. And so Megumi sat, her hand engulfed in his, and smiled.

* * *

Misao ran all the way to the shrine. Arriving at last at the sliding doors that led to the inner chambers, she stopped to catch her breath, doubling over with hands on knees, a fierce smile on her face. _Kaoru's right. I can do this. I have to!_

Her breathing steadied quickly enough, and she rose, straightening her back and lifting her stubborn chin. Raising a hand, she knocked quietly, not wanting to startle Aoshi. _Startle him? What a silly thought! As if Aoshi-sama would be startled by anything! _

Still, he _had _seemed off lately, even before this ridiculous stunt. She knew it was approaching the anniversary of Hannya's death again, but had pushed the thoughts aside. How easy it was to believe that Aoshi really was infallible! For the first time, she found herself wondering if her notion of her perfect, immutable protector was childish. And then she had seen the knowledge in Kaoru's eyes, the knowledge that Aoshi was, indeed, human after all, with weaknesses and faults like the rest.

Rather than disappoint her, however, this realization eased Misao's mind. _I'm not perfect either, but maybe that means I can really help him…_

She waited, but her knock went unanswered. "Aoshi-sama?" she called softly, knocking louder this time. Still nothing. "Aoshi-sama! It's me, Misao!" She flinched. _Of course he knows it's you, stupid! _Her brows furrowed. _But he's not answering._

The idea that Aoshi might be ignoring her on purpose was slow to dawn on Misao, but once it did, she felt a tide of anger rising fast to meet it. Clenching her fists at her sides, she tried to suppress it. _No! He doesn't need this right now! He needs someone to understand him, to be patient! Think! What would Kaoru or Megumi-san do?_

_ "If I were the one who could bring him back, he wouldn't have left at all."_

Misao's hands abruptly loosened. What exactly had Kaoru meant by that? Was it that Kaoru's firm kindness or quiet strength weren't the best ways to handle this? _No… I think she meant that I have to do this __**my **__way. No matter what it takes. __**Nobody**__ ignores Makamichi Misao!_

With that thought firmly in mind, the kunoichi slid open the shrine doors decisively. It was almost a slam, but not quite. Allowing the storm clouds in her heart to manifest on her face when she saw that Aoshi had indeed been simply disregarding her presence, she marched up to where he was sitting with his back to her.

When he didn't move or in any way register her actions, she lost a little bit of gusto. "Aoshi-sama?" Misao hated how soft and hesitant her voice came out.

A small exhalation escaped Aoshi, and he opened his eyes, turning just enough so she knew he was listening. "What is it, Misao?"

The tone was so utterly dismissive, so completely nonchalant, that she felt her ire building again. "Aoshi-sama. You have to come back to the Aoiya. The Oniwaban need you." _I need you. _The thought was not particularly surprising to Misao, but the certainty that accompanied it was. Even now, having seen him for the first time as just as prone to mistakes as anyone, she still felt it.

Aoshi's eyes closed again, and with a slight shake of his head, he turned back to what he had been doing, which, as far as Misao could tell, might as well be nothing for all the good it was doing anyone.

Still, she hadn't missed the resignation in the gesture, and something settled onto her chest like a lead weight. Swallowing, she tried a new approach. Sitting next to him, she closed her eyes too, and tried to match her breathing to his. She felt none of the relaxation that meditation was supposed to bring someone, though, just an increasing sense of urgency.

They sat like this for what felt like hours before either one spoke again. "Misao?"

"Y-yes?" she tried to keep her voice steady despite the fact that she felt ready to veritably explode with tension.

"Will you not leave?"

She opened her eyes and looked at him, only to find that he was staring straight at her. _Eek! How long has he been doing that? _She almost flushed, but hurried to answer. "Not without you," she said, managing to make it sound steady, resolute. She could have squealed with delight, but that probably would have ruined it.

He didn't respond, but neither did he turn away again. Taking this as an invitation to continue, Misao elaborated. "Look, I can't pretend to know how it feels to lose someone so close to you, but…" she shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. It was awfully hard to concentrate when ice-blue eyes were boring into your soul like that. "Actually, I think I can." When he raised an eyebrow, she continued, words gaining speed as she went. "Because I feel like I'm losing you, Aoshi. You've been here for over three days now, and you just left us all without a word. Well, except to Okina, but… it doesn't matter. You left me there, and I- that is, we- need you. If you left for good, I… I don't know what I'd do."

To her eternal shame, Misao felt hot tears springing to the corners of her eyes. She hurriedly looked away, but before she could hastily brush them away, he caught her chin in his hand and turned her to face him again. When she saw the undisguised worry in his expression, she lost it entirely and sobbed once, liquid streaming down her cheeks.

"I… I did this?" he asked, so softly that she almost missed it. She tried to shake her head, to reassure him that it wasn't his fault, really, that she'd be fine, but she could not. _Because it __**is **__you, Aoshi, it __**is **__all your fault._

Aoshi released her chin, and with an uncharacteristically clumsy movement, brushed his thumb over her cheek, wiping away a tear-streak. When her only reply was another sob, he rose to his knees, and, before Misao had time to react, he had wrapped his arms around her shoulders. "Forgive me, Misao. It has- it was never my intention to hurt you. I…" but he trailed off, unable or unwilling to complete the thought, the kunoichi did not know.

Momentarily paralyzed, she gradually relaxed into his hold, and let it all go.

Some time later, he moved his hands to her shoulders and pushed her out to arms' length, examining her face with an almost… _protective _sort of look, and she felt herself turn red. The tears were gone, though, and she could have sworn she saw the ghost of a smile flit across his face. Not a smirk or condescending smile of amusement at her antics as when she was a child, but a real smile.

"You called me Aoshi," he said simply.

She thought back on it, and grinned in response. "I guess… I guess I did. Is… is that okay?"

He nodded, but his face had grown somber once more. "Misao… I need you to understand something." When she murmured assent, he continued. "I… while the war continues, I cannot-"

"It's okay," she cut in. "I understand. You're the Okashira; you have other things to worry about. Just… promise me that when this is all over, you won't forget." _He needs to be Okashira right now. Maybe later he'll allow himself to be Aoshi again, but for now, I just have to wait. _Her grin faded, but a small smile remained. _If only he knew how long I've been waiting already…_

"I could never forget," was the reply. He stood, sliding his kodachi into his obi, and waited for her to stand as well. He led the way out, back to the Aoiya, and Misao couldn't help but revel in her own happiness. The Oniwabanshu had their Okashira back, and she… she had her Aoshi at last.

* * *

Kaoru watched the two of them return. She'd just been to visit Sano, who apparently would be fine within a week or so, and was setting about writing up his report for him when Aoshi and Misao had come back from the shrine. She watched with a secretive smile as Misao veritably skipped in their leader's wake, even Aoshi wearing a much less serious expression than usual. _Good. I'm glad that's all worked out, then. _

To top it off, she'd seen the way Megumi was looking at Sano, and knew that something had changed there, too. Frankly, she wasn't sure she could handle too much more happiness. So she resumed humming the merry tune of this morning and went back to her writing, but not before shooting Aoshi a look that clearly said she knew what was going on, though honestly, she'd be wrenching the details out of Misao before long. _Heh… I guess if this samurai thing doesn't work out, I can go into matchmaking…_ She smiled to herself at the little joke, it wasn't as though she was really _responsible _for any of it, it just felt nice to nudge here and there. _If Hiko-sensei saw this, he'd laugh his head off, I'm sure…_

She was interrupted from her musings by a shout, and turned to see Yahiko pounding up the stairs. "Guys!" he yelled. "you aren't gonna believe this!"

"Slow down, Yahiko," she admonished in her best bossy-voice. "What is it?" Apparently, Misao and Aoshi had heard the ruckus, too, because both had reappeared from their rooms.

"There's a guy here who says he wants to see Aoshi," the boy panted.

"That's Aoshi-_sama_ to you, Yahiko!" Misao put in, but Kaoru was looking intently at her pupil. Yahiko tried very hard to keep his cool, and if something besides her lessons had him this worked up, it had to be serious.

Catching her look, Aoshi spoke calmly, but quickly. "Who?"

Yahiko glanced at him briefly before returning his eyes to his teacher. "I think it's that Battousai guy."

* * *

_Kiku's Corner:_

_Okay, so, I apologize to all the action-oriented readers out there (I am one of you), because there was FAR too much mush in this chapter. There was a reason, though, as these scenes do resolve certain plots to a point, and I feel like Aoshi can tone it down on the angst now. Also, this all went here so that next chapter can begin our final sequences of events, which, as you may have guessed, actually involve K&K being on the same general side and interacting lots more! Oh, and Hiko comes back into the story, too. ;-)_

_Thanks to Beth and my readers/reviewers/favorite-ers, the little emails I get when you review/favorite make my day._

_~Kiku~ _

_**Responses:**_

_Jasmine Blossom625: Hey, thanks! Glad you like Kaoru. I always try to keep people in character while adjusting for different situations._

_.: Hey, thanks for all the reviews, and I hope you continue to read and enjoy._

_Pterion: Your review made me laugh! I'm glad you feel that way; it makes me feel so much better about the huge timesuck that writing this thing has become. There will be periodic doses of K&K from next chapter until the end, periodic as in probably every chapter lol._

_Flaming-amber: I personally apologize for the nonaction of this chapter. And you're right about the one scene; I'm thinking of reworking it if I ever get the time. And thanks for reminding me about the "sheath" thing; I am now definitely going to include it somewhere! And there will be no Tomoe, that I promise._

_Brit02: Lol, that's okay; I die a little inside when I don't follow an update schedule or nobody reviews, neither of which (I'm pleased to say) has been an issue with this story. _

_Caseyedith: Actually, the ide for that line wasn't something I was going to include, but then it just came to me and I laughed. I'm glad you liked it!_

_JMai: Well, the "retelling" bit was definitely a goal of this story. I tend to make each of my stories a particular project, and this one is all about creating an AU that still captures the spirit of the original. Legends tend to get retold that way, so in a sense I'm trying to tell a different version of the "legend" of Rurouni Kenshin. Hopefully that doesn't sound too pretentious, and I've managed to create something that people enjoy. If those two things are true, that's enough, you now?_

_Kokoronogamu: Well, I think some of your questions got answered in this chapter. Hopefully, the solution is satisfying, though it has yet to be fully apparent. I'm glad you like Kaoru's character; I spend so much time in her POV I sometimes worry about screwing something up._

_IceQueenBarbarian: Hey, thanks! I appreciate the review!_

_Daichilover: Glad you like the name, and thanks for the review (again). _

_GinsengH: Ah, but the disobeying an order thing became important, ne? I was a little worried about it seeming OOC, but it was kind of a crazy situation, so maybe it works._


	10. Chapter 10: Turned

Chapter 10: Turned

_The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong._

_-Mahatma Ghandi_

_

* * *

_

Himura was led through the back of the restaurant and up some stairs by a woman wearing a waitress's kimono. Frankly, he hadn't expected it to be so easy. Then again, he hadn't given them much choice but to comply with his wishes. He had walked into the Aoiya, up to the nearest server, and asked to see a Shinomori-san of the Oniwaban. Not the most subtle of moves, but what need had he for subtlety?

The young girl's eyes had gone wide, and she'd immediately shot a glance at a boy her own age, lounging in a corner of the establishment. The dark-eyed kid had immediately been at her side, and Himura had repeated his request. A third person, the tall, mostly unremarkable woman who was leading him now, had been summoned, and the boy had disappeared, presumably to inform this Shinomori of his appearance.

The redheaded assassin's hand went to the envelope tucked safely in his plain dark green gi. He had been surprised to find that Katsura had sent someone ahead of him to his rooms with it. The messenger, a closemouthed man named Shinichi, had simply handed him the papers without a word. Therein was the name of the Oniwaban's infamous leader, as well as papers on the man Katsura suspected to be at the heart of the Shishi's recent troubles with traitors and defections. Among these documents was a small note from Katsura himself, unsigned, but in handwriting Himura knew well.

_If you're so inclined, you may find this information useful._

Upon reading the rest of the papers, he had understood that this was more a request than anything else, and one he found he could not ignore. Truth be told, Himura had had no real plans for a future outside of the Isshin Shishi, not even when he was planning on serving with them until the end of the war. Now, thrown out early, he was about as directionless as it was possible to be. The envelope had, characteristically of anything from Katsura, given him purpose; one he was freer to take or walk away from than he had been in about five years.

It was almost ironic: he had chosen to follow the man's direction as he always had, despite the fact that Katsura no longer exercised any power over him. Was he truly that much of a puppet, to be controlled indefinitely by the will of another? Did it even matter?

"Shinomori-sama has agreed to see you," his guide interrupted, not bothering to disguise the reproach in her voice at his blatant disregard for the organization's secrecy. He merely looked at her, and watched without satisfaction as her eyes dropped and she quickly removed herself from his vicinity.

He slid aside the door without bothering to knock; he had made no effort to hide his presence, and if Shinomori were in any way competent, he would know that the Battousai stood outside his office.

He stepped inside, surveying the scene with affected disinterest. In truth, he was curious to see just what kind of people these Oniwabanshu really were. Behind a low table stacked with paperwork was a man Himura decided must be Shinomori. Black-haired and ice-eyed, he wore the same carefully-crafted neutral mask the hitokiri himself favored. Dual kodachi lay within easy reach at his sides; his ki signature was fairly impressive, and well-contained.

Sitting on Shinomori's left was the short kunoichi with green eyes he had seen at the warehouse. She watched him warily, like a mouse that knew it was being stalked, but was unsure if the cat in question was hungry or not. _She half-expects me to kill them all at any moment, _he thought wryly. Not that he blamed her, of course. One did not gain a reputation like the Battousai's without reason.

Moving his gaze to the Okashira's right, he barely noticed the boy from earlier, because his eyes locked, as they always seemed to, on the Kamiya girl. He had finally remembered why her name sounded familiar; he had once met her father, when he was still a child, newly adopted by his master. Thinking back on that encounter he had decided that father and daughter were quite similar: there was a groundless kindness to their personalities, and a corresponding lack of guile in their expressions.

Even now, Kaoru was making no attempt to disguise her surprise to see him here. There was something else in her expression, too, something that he could not identify. He was somewhat surprised to see her dressed in a finely-made red kimono, silvery sakura blossoms embroidered at the bottom. She looked… different.

His thoughts were interrupted- whether mercifully or otherwise, he could not say- by the sound of a clearing throat. He wrenched his gaze from this new paradigm of the woman he could not understand, and briefly flicked it to the offending kunoichi before turning his attention to Shinomori. They had, after all, much to discuss.

* * *

Misao's rather unsubtle reminder of present company snapped Kaoru out of her own reverie. Then again, she could hardly be blamed. It wasn't every day someone like him barged into your home and stared you down.

At this point, Kaoru had no less than a million questions racing circles in her brain, but she managed to contain herself and wait for Aoshi to speak. He was the person in charge here, after all, and frankly she wasn't sure she could be trusted to articulate anything at this point.

So her gaze dropped to the floor, and she watched through her lashes as Himura turned to face Aoshi, offering a stiff bow in acknowledgement of his station, but not the kind one would give their own superior.

Aoshi, for his part, was remaining impressively stone faced as usual, though Misao was unable to disguise her shock and uncertainty. Uncertainty that Kaoru felt as well. And yet… she could not lie to herself, there was a measure of anticipation as well. What was it about this man that could do that? He was palpably dangerous; one need only look at his eyes or sense his ki to know that. Add to that the fact that he seemed only rarely to adhere to what one would expect of him, and it was obvious that every moment spent in his presence was one in which her life was endangered.

_But that's not true, is it? _For whatever reason, Himura had not yet killed her, or anyone in her presence, for that matter. He had accepted the sakabatou, and while she was sure he had killed people since, she had never witnessed such a thing. _Still, he __**is**__ dangerous. More so than anyone I know, I think. So why am I not afraid? _Kaoru wasn't the type to ignore risk in any capacity; caution was an integral part of both her swordsmanship and her life. Somehow, though, she was drawn to this man like a moth to a flame. _An apt metaphor. The moth usually dies, _she thought wryly.

Before her thoughts could wander any further, Aoshi spoke in measured tones. "Battosai the Manslayer. To what do I owe this visit?" His voice was laced with a subtle irony, and understandably so: hitokiri only ever paid "visits" to targets, and never quite like this.

In response, Himura reached into his gi. Everyone in the room tensed save Kaoru; Yahiko moved a hand to the shinai at his side, and Kaoru let the tiniest of sardonic smiles make its way onto her face. _He would not resort to such underhanded means. Mou, I say that as if I know anything about him! _She was gratified, though, when he merely removed an envelope and tossed it onto the table before Aoshi.

"This is everything the Isshin Shishi have on a man named Makoto Shishio." Himura watched unblinkingly as Aoshi picked up the envelope and turned it over in his hands.

"Is Shishio not one of your men?" Kaoru could tell that Aoshi was phrasing the question carefully, trying to get a read on Himura's intent. She herself had an idea where this was going, but she didn't want to let her hope get ahead of her, so said nothing.

"He is currently under the employ of the Shishi, yes. He was trained as my successor, should I ever… meet with an unfortunate end. It seems, however, that he is more ambitious than a hitokiri should be." Kaoru noted Himura's phrasing as well, and the spark of hope lit into a tiny flame. _Perhaps… no, I mustn't jump to conclusions!_ She shook her head, causing Yahiko to look at her strangely, but they were both too interested in what was being said to say anything.

Aoshi flicked open the envelope and scanned the few pieces of paper quickly. Setting them down before him, he appeared to gather his thoughts for a moment before he spoke again. "They believe he intends to move against them." It was not a question, and everyone noticed. Misao sucked in a breath, and Yahiko stared hard at Himura, waiting for a response.

"Some do," was the noncommittal reply.

"I see. So why bring this to me? Surely it is a problem that could be dealt with… internally?" Aoshi's head tilted ever so slightly to one side, and his eyes narrowed. _So he's still testing, then. But he's taking this seriously, like he believes it, _Kaoru mused to herself. She had to admit that her question was much the same one.

Himura smirked darkly. "Because the majority of the Isshin Shishi's power structure doesn't want to believe it. Even if they do, they no longer have the resources to deal with the problem. Shishio already has all his soldiers on his side, and at least seven or so of those are almost as strong as he is."

"Ah. So they ignore the problem, and it goes away?" Aoshi crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back slightly, and Kaoru watched a flicker of understanding pass between the Okashira and the redheaded samurai.

"Something like that. Since the problem can't be solved internally-"

"Someone was smart enough to outsource it. How do I know you are not lying? This could easily be a ruse to earn my trust and take out the Oniwaban." A raised eyebrow accompanied the statement.

"You need only wait a few days. Certainly by then the men you have about the country will bring you news of a manhunt for me. I no longer owe allegiance to the Isshin Shishi. I gave that up when I disobeyed their orders." A quick flick of a glance at Kaoru, but other than that, no acknowledgement of the circumstances of the event, though Kaoru was sure Aoshi could guess.

"So why bother with this at all? What difference does it make to you now?" This was exactly the question Kaoru had been wanting to ask, and she tried with only some success to keep her face neutral.

Himura took his time considering this, and Kaoru was left wondering if he even _had _a reason. "It's payment," he said at last, "for someone who did me a favor. He sees the problem Shishio poses, and knows I can do something about it. But I can't do it without more information."

Aoshi nodded slightly. "And that's why you want our help." There was no denial. "Hn. You have not personally killed any of my men, though I do not doubt you would have done so if explicitly ordered." At this, Kaoru was about to protest, but Aoshi silenced her with a look. "Nevertheless, I see where this arrangement might be beneficial to us all. We do not need another war on the heels of this one, and if this Shishio decides to seek power, that is exactly what we will have. Kaoru," he turned abruptly to her, voice as flat as ever, "can we trust that what he is saying is true?"

The swordswoman was momentarily shocked at being asked the question, and her first instinct was to shout 'of course' at the top of her voice. Himura had, after all, had plenty of chances to harm her, as well as Sano and Misao. _Still, he did almost kill Doctor Takani… but that was a while ago now, and…_ she cut herself short. Was it that easy for her to believe a killer had changed his nature? Was it that easy for a killer _to _change? _But what if he isn't a killer at all, just someone who wound up in a bad situation? _No, she knew that Himura had made choices to do what he had done, and that he was responsible for the consequences. _Still…_

"What's past is past," she said aloud, "and it makes no difference to me what you may have done." She spoke to the samurai directly rather than Aoshi, then turned to her leader. "There is no denying that he was a hitokiri, and his goals were sometimes against ours, but-" here she smiled- "he has never tried to cover that up, or been dishonest with me, and so I have no reason to believe that he lies when he says he has left them."

A silence descended over the room, and as it stretched out, Kaoru refused to meet anyone's eyes. There was no denying that she'd gone out on a limb there, but she believed every word of what she said.

Just as the quiet was growing awkward and Kaoru felt the slow burn beginning in her cheeks, Aoshi spared her the indignity by speaking. "Very well. Based on what Kaoru has said and the information you have brought, I will agree to help you gather information on this man Shishio's whereabouts and his manpower. I promise no involvement beyond that. The Oniwaban are not an army. So I must know: are you strong enough to defeat him on your own?"

Misao gave Aoshi a spectacularly disbelieving look that the latter ignored. Other than that, all eyes were fixed on the only man standing. Himura closed his eyes slowly before opening them again, and Kaoru thought she must have imagined that they were brighter.

"I will be," he replied stonily. "I intend to return to my master, and learn now what I was too stubborn to see five years ago."

_Hiko-sensei! _Kaoru's smile was bright as she broke in. "Aoshi. I would like to go as well. Sensei still has the last two succession scrolls for my style, and I think I'll need them." Her resolution must have shown in her face, because he made no effort to argue.

"Fine, but I'm sending Sano as well."

* * *

It took three days for the one called Sano to recover enough to travel, and during that time, Himura studiously avoided all contact with, well, just about everyone. The only person who was not generally disconcerted by his company was Kaoru, but it was she that he dodged most fervently.

He wasn't exactly sure why, either. He supposed he should feel gratitude for what she had done, and in truth he did. But there was something else, something at the edge of his mind. It reminded him of what had happened on the battlefield, when he'd lost his control, if only for a short time. Something threatened to make him lose his iron grip on himself, his near-flawless control, and he resented it. He did not know what it was, only that it was worst when she spoke of him with that absolutely trusting tone of voice, or when she smiled. Both things he did not deserve.

_The past doesn't matter… _What a strange thought that was; surely it belonged to an equally strange person. She hadn't denied his responsibility for what he had done, nor dismissed it entirely, but simply decided it was unimportant. He couldn't see the logic of it, and it confused him. _She _confused him, and uncertainty was the last thing he needed right now.

Frustrated, he stood. Locating her ki almost instantaneously, he determined that she was in the restaurant portion of the inn. Satisfied that he need not pass her to do so, he made his way out to the makeshift practice yard. He passed the female doctor and the fistfighter on the way out; she studiously ignored his existence while his eyes narrowed in suspicion, but neither confronted him.

The only other occupant of the outdoor space was the boy Yahiko. Himura had surmised that the dark-complexioned youth was some sort of student of Kaoru's, though if his skill was any indication, one recently come to a lifestyle that involved any sort of discipline. Still, he appeared to have dedicated himself to it, if his rapid breaths and near-constant presence here were anything to judge by, and Himura found himself in vague admiration of both the young teenager's determination and the obvious loyalty that Kaoru seemed to inspire as a teacher. Yahiko had no natural talent for swordsmanship, but his work ethic would ensure that he became highly-skilled.

Betraying none of this, Himura chose instead to walk silently by, selecting a clear space for his own practice. It had been some time since he had gone through the exercises of his style, the katas and the forms; such habits had fallen by the wayside in the last few years.

So it was with some trepidation that he settled into his first stance, one of those ill-used on a constantly-moving battlefield. Flowing from one stance to the other, though, that was something he had not lost, and muscle memory slowly took over, allowing his mind to enter the restful state that accompanied such automatic movement.

Perhaps it was because of this that he did not sense her coming. Whatever the reason, her voice surprised him. "You stand differently from Hiko-sensei," she remarked.

Straightening perhaps a little too abruptly, he turned to see her not six feet away. _How did I miss that? _"Okay, Yahiko, that's enough for now. Do your laps and then call it a day." The boy grumbled, but nevertheless immediately set about his task, slinging his shinai across his back.

She turned towards him again. "It's your left foot, right? Hiko-sensei doesn't turn it like that. It reminds me of… " she trailed off, and her eyes grew unfocused and distant.

He wasn't particularly sure he wanted to answer, but decided the information was hers to know. Besides, he didn't particularly like the faraway expression, it reminded him too much of himself after a particularly bloody battle.

"Your father?" he prompted.

He watched with mild interest as shock spread across her face, followed swiftly by a more general bemusement. "But how…?"

Her tone implored him, and he answered, "He came to visit Hiko once, when I was small, and taught me this."

She seemed to struggle for the right words. "I… I see. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. It was he who gave Hiko-sensei that sword you're holding, anyway."

He was silent, which she correctly interpreted as something of an invitation to explain. "He believed in these swords, my father. It was his philosophy that swords should be used to protect, not to kill." She smiled, a little sadly. "I know now that nobody else believes it, but I do. That's why…" she gestured vaguely to the sakabatou at her waist.

"I see." He offered no judgment; if she knew Hiko, she surely knew what the Hiten Mitsurugi philosophy was on that point, and there was simply nothing else to say.

* * *

"Look, kitsune-chan, I promise I'll be fine." Sano looked about distractedly, spotting Kaoru and that guy already approaching the front entrance of the Aoiya. If he didn't hurry, they were going to leave without him, and he was pretty sure Aoshi would have his hide if that happened. The Okashira was pretty adamant that the former Battousai had to be watched closely. Sano personally chalked it up to paranoia. It was Aoshi's job to be like that, even if Sano himself thought that the missy's endorsement was good enough for him. _Doesn't mean I have to __**like **__the guy, but…_

Megumi's voice forced his attention away from the two samurai. "You won't be if you overexert yourself. Your injuries are still healing. You are absolutely _not allowed _to do any fighting for at least another week, do you understand?"

"Yeah, yeah, don't worry about it," he replied, waving a hand dismissively. Unfortunately, the gesture caused some of his injured muscles to pull uncomfortably, and he wasn't quick enough to hide the wince.

"Don't worry? I'm not worried. You're just an impulsive idiot who runs straight into danger without even stopping to consider the implications. Why would I worry about you?" she bit out sarcastically.

"Oh, I can think of a couple of reasons," he rejoined slyly.

"Hmph. I'm sure I have no idea what you mean. In fact, I can't think of a single one," she huffed, crossing her arms over her chest petulantly.

Sano heard his name called just as an idea formed in the back of his mind. It was impulsive, sure, but why the Hell not? _You only live once, right? _He tried not to think of the implications his plan would have for his lifespan.

"Well," he said casually, "I guess I'll have to remedy that." Without giving Megumi any time to respond, he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers, in full view of most of the Aoiya's staff and patrons.

The lady doctor's eyes widened, and amid the smiles and scattered catcalls of the customers, she drew her hand back and slapped him.

"Hey now," he rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, though it hadn't really hurt, "aren't doctors supposed to help their patients?" His wide grin never left his face as he watched her turn an impressive shade of red. "Like I said, kitsune-chan, that's a good look for ya."

Before any more injury could be threatened or exacted, he winked and made for the door. The redhead raised an eyebrow briefly, and Kaoru made an attempt to look sternly at him for such a display, but ultimately lost to her obvious pleasure at this turn of events and settled for shaking her head ruefully.

"Well, come on then," he admonished as though someone else had caused the delay, "don't we have someone to see?"

* * *

_Kiku's Corner~_

_Hey everyone! I know the chapter's a bit shorter than usual, but it's Hell Week at school, which means next week is finals, which means that one might be somewhat short as well. After that though, I'll have the summer to wrap this up for you all. _

_So apologies for the length, but do drop a review if you liked it anyway, ne? Or if you didn't. Or if you totally hate everything about this story (though if that were the case, I'd ask why you're still reading). Concrit and irredeemable praise accepted, flames cired over, then laughed at later._

_Anyway, I'm out for now; I have a 10-page term paper to write on W.V.O. Quine._

_~Kiku~_

_**Review Responses **__(because I love you all)_

_Jasmineblossom625: Yep, it's getting there. And you're welcome, thanks for reviewing!_

_Brit02: Glad the inaction gave you a break haha. The action will be back in full force next chapter though, 'cause we're headed to see Hiko. And we all know what he's like. (^.^)_

_IceQueenBarbarien: Hmm… I sense a comedy oneshot coming on. Maybe when I actually have some time to breathe. Thanks for the review, and the idea!_

_Jiyoung: Why, thank you! I agree; all the Kenshin characters are awesome. I'm actually sad I can't use some of them more in this story. Every time I think I've nailed down my "favorite" I remember something else and give up trying to pick!_

_Clara594: Nice to see someone new in my inbox _\(^.^)/ _I hope the chapter did not disappoint, and there's more to come next week, I promise._

_Kokoronogamu: Oh my goodness, your review made me quite literally laugh out loud. I think my friends are now convinced I'm insane, because I was "studying" when I read it. But no, it's not quite an omiai, ne? _

_Satora: Well, I guess you're kind of in luck, my updates thus far have been weekly; I couldn't make them any shorter without dying, and then the story would never get finished! I'm glad you like the portrayal of Kaoru, and I hope you continue to read and enjoy._

_Pterion: Haha, don't worry too much about it, I sometimes forget how to spell with no reason at all. On another note, you're in Vegas? That's awesome! Did you see Cirque du Soleil? I've heard it's AMAZING. Sorry, random tangent, but I do hope you enjoyed yourself. (Why you'd be reading fanfic on vacation, I have no idea, but I'm kinda flattered lol)._

_Ayrith: Whew! I'm glad you liked those scenes, I kind of angsted about how they turned out, but it's good that people generally seemed to be okay with them. Yeah, K&K swiftly approaching, I promise. Once they get it through their naïve (Kaoru) and emotionally-challenged (Kenshin) heads that the reason they're so confused is not what they think. I'm betting Hiko might have something to say on the subject, how about you?_

_Kaden213: Hello, mostly-anonymous user! Nice to meet you (ish). Please keep reading, and I shall keep writing, ne? I'm quite flattered; we authors do love to hear that we manage to create something memorable!_

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So, I'm at just over 90 reviews. Think I can make it to 100 before next Friday? Care to help me out? I'd love to hear from ya!


	11. Chapter 11: Reunited

Chapter 11: Reunited

_Truth persuades by teaching, but does not teach by persuading._

_-Quintus Septimius Tertullianus_

_

* * *

_

"Ugh, that's it. We're stopping for the night," Kaoru grumbled. Why Sano had to insist on this stupid game was beyond her. The minute the three of them had begun their journey, she could tell it wasn't going to go as smoothly as she had hoped.

Oh sure, it had started off genially enough, Sano cracking jokes and being his usual silly self. But when Himura had proven just as taciturn as ever, Kaoru's foster brother had seemingly decided to completely ignore him, save the occasional glare.

And then there had been the matter of stopping. It took a good two days to reach Hiko-sensei's house from the Aoiya, and that was assuming fair weather and healthy travelers, neither of which had proven to be the case. It had started raining almost as they left, and the spittle had rapidly become a downpour. Natural for this time of the year, perhaps, but annoying all the same. Add that to the fact that Sano was still injured, and Kaoru had expected them to stop at sundown.

Not so, apparently. She had left it to Sano to signal their stop, but from the way he kept shooting looks at the redheaded samurai, the proud fool had gone and turned this into some kind of endurance test, one which the other competitor was not entirely unaware of. It seemed to simply amuse Himura, but a good three hours into the night, Kaoru was covered in mud from the road and in no mood to continue.

_What __**is **__it with men anyway? They compete over the most __**stupid **__things! _Not for the first time, she wished Misao or Megumi were here, the first because she would be sure to cheer the mood up a little, and the second because she would never have let Sano get this far without resting. To her shame, it had taken Kaoru some time to figure out how much pain he was actually in and demand the stop herself.

At her words, though, Himura obligingly halted, allowing Sano to move past him, ostensibly in search of a suitable clearing, but really just for the satisfaction of "winning," whatever that meant. Sometimes, it was easy to forget Sano was the almost the same age as his "competitor," especially when it came to matters of pride. _So mature about some things, but stick him in a competition, and it's like he's fifteen again. _She shot Himura a grateful look behind Sano's back, and the swordsman inclined his head slightly.

The three swiftly spotted a grove of trees off the road, and settled themselves therein. The rain had abated an hour or so ago, but finding dry wood for a fire might be a challenge. Still, that could wait. "I'm going to take a bath," she announced.

Sano, who had sunk gratefully to the ground with a sigh that he had likely thought no one heard, protested. "Are you sure that's a good idea, missy?"

Kaoru rolled her eyes. "Sano, contrary to popular belief, women don't lose skills or sense when bathing, and I doubt there are any bandits around here anyway. We're close enough to Hiko-sensei's that it's fine," she replied decisively. "Besides, the river isn't that far." Grabbing a towel from her pack, she marched off through the tree line, ignoring anything else that might have been said on the subject. Sano and Himura could smell all they wanted; _she _at least was going to remain clean whenever possible.

_

* * *

_

Himura didn't listen too closely to the argument. He knew the girl was strong enough to take care of herself. Besides, there weren't any ki signatures in the area save their own. Instead, he busied himself collecting fallen branches in the immediate vicinity; they were somewhat damp, but the canopy overhead had saved them from the worst of the rain. He wasn't entirely comfortable lighting something as visible as a fire while there was likely a manhunt for him, but decided that ultimately, anyone strong enough to be worth bothering with wouldn't need such an obvious signal to find him. Additionally, chances were the river was still pretty cold, and would be until full summer. Kaoru was going to need the heat.

When he had started to care for her well-being, he did not know. He could trace his concern for her life generally probably back to when he had first met her; she had puzzled him enough that he had wanted to solve the mystery before allowing her to die. Now, he knew a great deal more about her, but rather than understanding her, he was simply more confused.

Nobody he had ever met before looked at him with such an open expression. Or such kindness and concern, for that matter. It was almost laughable, that someone should show regard for a killer like him.

Setting the wood in a careful pile, he stacked several of the more flammable-looking pieces into an inverted cone-shape and attempted to set it alight. After a few tries, the small flame was licking its way up the sticks, and he sat back, satisfied. He was met with Sano's unwavering gaze, a scrutiny which he returned in kind. He had something of a grudging respect for this man, though he thought some of the fistfighter's antics immature at best. They belied the strength he could sense coming from the man, and it wasn't anyone who could take an entire strike squad- minus the hitokiri- and survive.

"So Kenshin," he began, and Himura carefully concealed the irritation he felt at the familiar use of his given name, "what's your plan?"

The samurai's eyes narrowed, and he responded tersely. "I assumed Shinomori-san had told you."

Sano crossed his arms, and Himura knew he was in for a fight. "Yeah, he did, but I wanna hear it from you."

Sighing inwardly, the shorter man obliged. While he would rather not have spoken, it wouldn't do well to offend a high-ranking member of an organization whose assistance he required, and he was very conscious that the ground he was treading was quite precarious indeed. The only thing keeping his chances at success alive was Kaoru's seemingly implicit trust in him, and it would not hurt to have another ally. "I intend to complete my training and then stop Shishio."

There was a short nod. "Which is all fine. But what I wanna know is, what's the missy got to do with all this?"

It took Himura a minute to remember that this was Sano's pet name for Kaoru. "I don't understand."

His interrogator cocked his head to the side slightly. "I ain't stupid, pal. There's some reason you never bothered to kill her, and there's a reason we're all here now. I wanna know what it is." Sano's glare was fiercely protective, and it took a minute for the swordsman to understand why.

_Of course. He thinks of Kaoru as a sibling. _Once this piece of information was duly processed, it took even longer for Himura to formulate an answer. It was, after all, a question he'd asked himself many times. _Why __**didn't **__I kill her?_

"I don't know," he replied, honestly but unsatisfactorily.

The other man snorted. "Fine. But let's get one thing straight: that girl means a lot of things to a lot of people, and most of those people would be pretty pissed if anything happened to her. And strong enough to do something about it." The threat was obvious, and though Himura wasn't particularly intimidated by such things, it did cause him to guess that Kaoru must have this odd effect on most people, to have earned the loyalty and trust of the people she had.

Rather than say anything, he simply nodded to acknowledge that he had heard, and went about skewering some of their rations on thin sticks, thrusting them into the ground next to the fire to roast.

"Mmm, something smells delicious!" Gold met blue, and Kaoru smiled slightly. "Did you do this, Kenshin?" her eyes grew wide as she realized her mistake. "Oh, excuse me, Himura-san!" she cried, bowing slightly.

For a moment, he just stared at her. Her hair was loose about her shoulders and fell in damp tendrils down her back. She was clearly cold, but attempted not to shiver, probably in case Sano should say something about it. Her blue gaze was clear and bright, and until a moment ago, the small smile of happiness had seemed to light her entire countenance. For some reason, he found that he wanted her to smile again.

"Kenshin is fine," he said softly, and averted his gaze as the light blush stained her cheeks slightly pink. It was too… _something. _

But he could hear the smile in her voice as she spoke. "All right then. Thank you, Kenshin." He could not stop himself from looking up again, because there it was, that soft expression that he found he liked.

A short time and much praise for his cooking later- he could not understand why simple grilled vegetables were so well-received- the three settled down for the night. Sano volunteered heartily for first watch, since they had unanimously decided that caution never hurt.

Kenshin was undisturbed by the hard earth beneath him, but knew that sleep would not come easily tonight. Too much was whirring through his brain. Thoughts of the master he had not seen in five years, of the successor he had never met but would have to fight for the sake of peace- an odd goal for a manslayer, but one he felt he was truly working towards this time. More than any of these things, though, he was plagued by musings on a most confusing person, and his dreams haunted with images of her smile.

_

* * *

_

Sano was rudely awakened from his slumber by a sharp foot to his side. Opening his eyes groggily, he observed with the sort of detached unconcern of the recently conscious that Kaoru was standing over him. Her lips were moving, but it took him a moment to process what she was saying.

"Aw, missy, why you gotta be so violent? I'm still injured, ya know." He made a show of clutching at his side as he rolled to his feet.

"Oh please Sano, we both know your injury's on the other side," she replied testily, but he saw with satisfaction that her eyes were twinkling with ill-contained mirth. He was glad he wasn't the only one who was reminded of the first journey they had taken together.

Sano was a heavy sleeper, but let it never be said that when he was awake, he wasn't _awake._ He was ready to go no more than a quick few minutes of packing later, and he suspected Kaoru had left him longer to his sleep knowing that this would be the case. He was almost ready to plaster his trademark grin upon his face when his eyes fell on Kenshin.

Now, Sano wasn't the type of guy to hold grudges. Well, except one. He would never forgive the people who had killed Captain Sagara, but he knew that they were all long since dead in the war. Still, the fact that the samurai now with them was from the same organization made Sano disinclined to trust him.

This fact, however, was something he could deal with. He could push it aside and let the man's own actions speak to his character, especially since it seemed to be what the missy wanted. No, his real problem with Kenshin wasn't where he'd come from.

Sano's eyes narrowed reflexively as he watched the man formerly called Battousai watching Kaoru. There was no mistaking that look. Confusion wrought with indecision, overlaid with no small amount of possessiveness. And there was the rub. Kaoru's older brother-figure may eventually come to like or even trust Kenshin, but there was nothing about this situation that made it any easier.

He sighed inwardly. _I guess I shouldn't interfere too much. The missy's right, after all. She can make her own choices, and I should be glad he hasn't done anything worse than look at her the wrong way. _This his reason told him, but people like Sano were less inclined to listen to logic when the people they cared about were at stake, hence his rather unsubtle threat the night before.

So caught was he in these thoughts that he almost didn't notice when, half the day through, a familiar ki signature entered the edge of his range. He looked swiftly over at the other two, neither of whom seemed to have noticed anything. _Looks like we'll meet the old man sooner than I thought. _Were they really moving that fast? Or had he just lost track of time?

Either way, it was going to happen soon, and he thought for the first time about what might actually occur. He couldn't imagine that the old man was particularly happy with his first pupil, and he considered the possibilities, a decidedly sadistic smirk crossing his face, causing Kaoru to look at him oddly.

Sano, however, just shook his head and kept walking. _This should be interesting._

_

* * *

_

Hiko fixed his best intimidating glare on the prodigal student before him. To his credit, the fool did not look away, though he did shift somewhat uncomfortably under the scrutiny.

Choosing to ignore him for the moment, the master of the Hiten Mitsurugi turned to his goddaughter and her friend. "Kaoru-chan, Sano," he nodded sternly, but took the fire out of his glare. He was not, after all, angry at either of them. Quite the opposite; Kaoru had done what even he had doubted was possible in bringing his baka deshi back to this forest, and Sano seemed to have kept his unspoken promise not to allow harm to come to her.

Kaoru was not nearly so reserved. "Hiko-sensei," she replied lightly, beaming. "It is good to see you again." To the surprise of everyone, probably herself included, she threw her arms around him in a hug. Hiko stiffened, then relaxed, though he did not move his arms from where they were crossed over his broad chest. It would not do to appear overly sentimental, though he had to admit he may have actually liked it. _Nobody_ hugged Seijuro Hiko the Thirteenth. Bowed before him, certainly, and he was known for allowing the occasional woman to get close, but it wasn't a 'hugging' sort of contact.

Sano casually waved a hand before moving off a ways. The kid was good enough at reading people to know that this was not his conversation. Hiko cleared his throat pointedly, and Kaoru at last released him, smile not the least bit diminished by his lack of response to her gesture, and he acknowledged that she likely understood that when it came to her, most of his sternness was little but a façade. _I really __**am **__getting too soft…_

Not that the other one would ever get to know it. He shot his deshi another glare so that the young man-barely more than a teenager- would know he was far from off the hook. "You're probably tired, so I'll cut you some slack, just this once." He directed his words at Kaoru, though projected them enough for Sano to hear as well. "We'll get down to business in the morning." He had intended to beat some sense into Kenshin that very evening, but a different plan was beginning to form in his mind, one whose prospects were far more interesting.

_

* * *

_

Kenshin had watched with a fair amount of unease as Kaoru veritably bounced before him in her enthusiasm, though she did not fail to hold the door for him to file inside Hiko's house as well. He suppressed a tight-lipped frown as he considered his unwelcome reaction to his former teacher's presence. Even after five years, it seemed that Hiko still could not fail to make him feel like a foolish child.

_Though what else have I been? _Kenshin found that, since his complete break from the Shishi, and even for some time before that, it had been like he was slowly emerging from a dream. More like a nightmare really. The fanatic idealism that he had adopted upon his entrance as a boy of fifteen was falling away, and what that veil of illusion was lifting to reveal was no pretty sight.

It was this that he mused on for most of the night, unwilling and unable to join in the light chatter and sharp banter that seemed to ensconce the others. It was almost more than he could do to respond to direct questions. Until now, he had been able to repress the thoughts of what he had done for the most part, but being here again was bringing to the forefront things better left untouched.

_Am I really so much of a coward than I cannot own up to what I have done? _He stared unblinkingly into the depths of the teacup that had somehow appeared in his hands, as though willing the answers to present themselves to him within it. When they were not forthcoming, he stood abruptly and removed himself to a far corner of the room, where he propped himself against the wall and leaned his sword on his shoulder. His actions were followed by the calculating stare of Hiko and the concerned blue one that was Kaoru's, but he tried very hard to ignore both.

It was not long afterward that the others made their way to bed as well, Kaoru to the guest room after a brief argument with Sano, Hiko to his own quarters, and Sano to the opposite side of the large central living space. The fistfighter was snoring within minutes, but Kenshin knew that his own rest would be fitful at best.

* * *

He was awake before the sun rose the next morning. Of course, to say such a thing would imply that he had slept for any length of time, which wasn't really the case. Still, he knew Hiko would expect him to be at his kata quite soon, and he may as well get a head start, so that by the time his master joined him, the awkwardness resulting from a lack of practice would not be quite so obvious.

He stepped outside noiselessly, only to observe that Kaoru was already up and about as well. She had to have taken the side exit, else he would have sensed her go by. She offered him a brief smile before resuming her own kata.

Inhaling the scent of the morning, fresh with dew and still smelling of yesterday's rain, he observed her for a moment. She flowed through the movements of a set quite similar to the more advanced Hiten Mitsurugi ones, yet subtly different, with an admirable smoothness. It seemed that she, at least, had not neglected the basics in the year since she was last under Hiko's tutelage. He felt a brief flash of shame before he pushed it aside.

"Are you going to join me?" she asked abruptly, a hint of amusement in her tone. He realized that it must have been several minutes since he walked outside, and nodded silently, positioning himself at her side. He drew his blade and settled into the first position, but found that it was no easier to move through the set than it had been at the Aoiya. His movements were precise enough, but…

"You're too sharp," he heard. The voice hesitated, and he opened his eyes to find her looking at him curiously. Under his return stare, a dusting of color rose to her face. "Er… that is, you're doing your kata like you're trying to kill something with every movement."

He raised an eyebrow, inviting her to continue. If she knew something about what he was doing wrong, well… _who am I to say I know better? _If his train of thought last night was anything to go by, he knew very little at all.

"This isn't about actually hitting an opponent," she continued, now with a bit more confidence. "Slow it down a little, and don't think too much. Just… let yourself _feel _it. Feel the joy in swordsmanship." She smiled again, as though this explained everything, and turned back to her own technique. He watched her for the second time this morning, but with the critical eye of a fellow swordsman. There was something there, a steadiness which was nothing like a real battlefield.

Still, it was worth a try. He deliberately closed his eyes and matched his breathing to her own, beginning the set again, this time with enforced slowness. It was better, but still not quite right.

"When did you lose it?" she inquired softly, and he turned once again to meet a sorrowful gaze.

"Lose what?" he asked flatly.

"The joy." She searched his face, for what, he couldn't tell.

He shook his head slightly. "I don't know what you mean."

A small frown creased her face, and he found that he distinctly disliked it. He preferred it when she was smiling. _Why? Why do you care? You shouldn't care about me because I-_

"What about the first time you did something right? The first time Hiko-sensei smiled or- or didn't berate you too much? And you knew that he was just being gruff because that's the way he is?" She seemed to realize that she was babbling, and fell into silence, waiting intently for an answer.

The thing was, he _did _remember. He was barely five at the time, but he remembered. He'd just mastered the first series of strikes Hiko had taught him, and was able to replicate them perfectly every time. There had been a glint to his master's eye then, and his younger self had picked up on it immediately in the way children do. He had been happy, stupidly, inexplicably happy at that small show of success, but he couldn't seem to remember the feeling itself, only that he had felt it.

Perhaps it was just as well. _I can't feel that again, not with what I've done, _he thought bitterly, _so why should I be reminded of what I'm missing?_

Kaoru seemed to pick up on something of what he was thinking, for her brow creased, and she opened her mouth to speak again, but not before they were interrupted.

"Alright, you two, it's time to see where you're at," Hiko grumped, sending another glare in Kenshin's direction, and the redhead groaned inwardly. If memory served, Hiko's idea of an evaluation was a painful bout with dull practice katana. Kenshin knew that he had improved in the time since he had left, but he held no illusion that he was stronger than the man standing before him.

He made no outward response, but Kaoru took care of that for both of them, bowing respectfully before inquiring, "Which one of us will go first?"

"First?" Hiko repeated as though mildly surprised at the idea. "Well, I suppose whichever one of you is faster." At Kaoru's confused look, he continued. "Go on, then, face each other."

The swordswoman shot Kenshin a look of mild apprehension, but he ignored it in favor of facing Hiko. "No," he replied flatly.

"No?" the master seemed to enjoy repeating things today. "Listen, baka deshi, I know it's been a while since you were here, but there's no way in Hell you've forgotten that if you want to learn from me, you have to obey me first." Hiko did not raise his voice, but the danger within it was clear.

"I'm not going to fight her," Kenshin replied flatly. He had not forgotten, but this was one argument he would not allow himself to lose. He could and would fight just about anyone that got in his way, but he had long since decided that he would not harm Kaoru. As strange as it was to him, this was the first line he had drawn himself in a long time, and propelling himself as far away from it as possible was his way of changing himself. From her, he had decided not to harm those she cared about, and from there, who could say? But he would not hurt her.

Hiko's eyes flashed, and he looked like he was about ready to draw his own sword, but Kaoru stepped in between the two and gently placed a hand over her master's. Looking back at Kenshin, she offered a gentle half-smile. "I'm not so fragile that I will break, Kenshin. It's just practice. We'll use the mercy rule, shall we?" the last was directed at Hiko, referring to the rule by which one combatant could hold up their hand in the sign for surrender, ending the match instantly.

"You grow impudent, girl," their master replied gruffly, but there was no anger in his tone, and she grinned impishly before releasing his hand and pivoting neatly on her heel to face Kenshin.

"Shall we?" she asked, giving a brief nod to Sano, who had just appeared in the doorway.

Kenshin lifted his shoulders slightly in an approximation of a shrug, trying to appear more nonchalant than he felt. It had been quite some time since he had simply sparred with anyone, and he wasn't entirely confident in his ability to tread that line without succumbing to his Battousai tendencies to deaden his emotions and give in to the impulse to kill.

So it was with a certain heaviness in his heart that he fell into a battojutsu stance, one of the earliest ones a student of the Hiten Mitsurugi learned. _I'll try and take it easy, maintain control…_

She lowered herself as well, and the two let their ki wash over the area,blanketing their senses, and narrowing the world until their spectators and the environment around them fell away. He was left with an acute awareness of her presence; the scent of jasmine floated to his nose, and heard the rustle of her gi as the wind shifted it slightly. More than anything, though, his ki sense was gently accosted by the soft strength that seemed to characterize everything about her. _Like the rain. _The thought leapt, once again unbidden, to the forefront of his mind, and he struggled to remember anything else. There was _power_ behind that deceptively calm sensation, and he wondered how it was that she affected the illusion of harmlessness.

He was afforded a moment of clarity, and pushed back with his own ki, allowing his mind some breathing room, as it were. Taking the opportunity, he broke the stalemate and sprang forward, unsheathing his blade rapidly, but not at full speed. He was somewhat surprised to see that she met it easily, swiftly disengaging and slashing at his shins. He jumped to avoid it, and used the height advantage to bring his sword down for her head, hoping frantically that she would be able to block.

Instead, she simply moved to the side, frowning. Blue eyes locked onto gold ones as she sliced the air diagonally in an attempt to hit his right shoulder. The attack left her open to any number of counters that would have been near impossible to block, none of which he used. Instead, he opted to move to her other side and take aim at her more easily-defensible torso.

She spun away effortlessly, and they both halted, neither winded. Sano looked a little confused, but Hiko's face was positively thunderous. Before he could speak, Kaoru interjected. "Why do you refuse to fight?" her voice was not angry as their master's would have been, but he found that the dejectedness in it was worse. "Do you think me that weak?"

He found that he could not look at her, and for the first time in years, Kenshin lowered his gaze from an open challenge.

"Fine then," he looked up abruptly at the hardening of her tone, and was somewhat surprised to see that her eyes were flashing that bright silver color he had seen before. "I guess I'll have to make you."

Without warning, she moved to his side and he struggled to block the blow she delivered to his midsection. His hands wavered as he took the impact of a strange, one-handed spinning blow that seemed as though it belonged to a different kind of dance than one of blades. He could not deny its effectiveness, though, and quickly found himself on the defensive as she rapidly struck again and again; legs, elbow, shoulder, neck, chest. All were blocked, but not without effort.

She jumped back again, and he had to backpedal to steady himself. The color of her eyes had settled to silver, and she was regarding him with a fierce, stubborn stare, her face flush with exertion. _She is… beautiful._ The thought was so unlike what he expected of himself that he allowed it to turn over and over in his mind until he was sure of it. And she was certainly attractive, he realized with some trepidation. Her features were fine-boned and refined; her small form trim from constant exercise. But there was more to it than that. Kenshin had met plenty of attractive women before, and had paid them mo more mind than he would a pretty flower in a garden, or a piece of sculpture. It was, he decided, her spirit that made her different, her strength and resolve, the way her gentle ki pressed at his senses until he knew little else. She did not delicately flutter about in a pretty kimono and hair ornaments like most women, but fought for a purpose, with mercurial eyes and unconventional blade.

It was then that he finally understood. This was what she was. A fighter, a truer samurai than he had any right to call himself. By refusing to combat her, he was denying her nature, showing her that he believed her inadequate. _I have been a fool. _He felt her ki brush up against his senses again, and it called to him, bade him remember something he had forgotten. _Joy._

Decided, he went on the offensive, this time pulling none of his punches, checking none of his blows. She matched him strike-for-strike, and he realized she had improved since the last time he had fought her. Now as then, though, he knew that he had the advantage of strength and experience on the battlefield, but she had the same fierce determination as before, and though he landed more hits, it would be a falsehood to claim that he did not feel the bite of her blade more times than he cared to count.

It had been a long time since someone had landed a hit on him, and he found that his blood began to boil at the thought of having a worthy adversary after so many years of killing those weaker than himself. The two of them fell into a rhythm: strike, block, slash, dodge, jump, thrust, parry. Slowly but surely, their breathing grew more and more ragged, and though he had long since lost track of time, it felt like they had been fighting for hours.

He was just through blocking the last in a succession of blindingly fast techniques that he did not know when he caught sight of her face. Kaoru was radiant with the smile that spread across it, and the steely glint to her eyes only confirmed the ferocious joy which had overtaken her. Much to his surprise, her golden-eyed opponent found that much the same exhilaration was coursing through his own body, and his lips had twisted into a smirk of their own.

Still, they were tiring fast, and a shared glance confirmed that the next pass would be their last. They separated, and Kenshin resheathed his sword for the highest-level battojutsu stance he knew. Kaoru regarded him for a second, but chose not to duplicate the maneuver. Instead, she held her sakabatou before her with slightly-shaking hands. For a moment, both were completely still, and Kenshin watched a small trickle of sweat make its way down the side of her face as he fought to steady his breathing.

The moment the droplet hit the ground, he launched himself forward. Fully expecting her to attempt to block his blow, he was surprised when instead she took a step _into _it, and brought her own blade up in a cross-slash.

They both froze at the place where their blades would have made contact, and Kenshin took quick stock of the situation. Though she had stepped into his blow, it seemed the move was incomplete. While she would have been struck only by the base of his sword rather than the deadlier middle or end, she would likely still have been fatally wounded by the blow. He was more shocked, however, to see that had their swords indeed been bladed, he would be missing his right arm. He would have killed this opponent, but at the cost of never being able to kill another, assuming he couldn't teach himself to fight one-handed with his left. A fairly safe assumption, given his style.

A low whistle broke the silence, and Kenshin turned to find Sano looking at them both, clearly impressed. "Jeez, missy, I didn't know you had it in ya."

Kaoru laughed lightly, and Kenshin's eyes snapped to her. She was flushed and still shaking, but her smile had softened into her usual one, and her eyes had become blue again. _How does she do that? Change from one thing to another so quickly?_

Hiko was looking at them both steadily. "Kaoru-chan," he said with an unusual amount of gentleness, "your scrolls are on my table. Baka," his tone hardened again so fast Kenshin almost thought he had imagined it, "you're coming with me." He turned swiftly, cape billowing behind him, and though Kenshin was exhausted, he did not protest. He could only hope this meant Hiko had decided to teach him again.

* * *

_Kiku's Corner:_

_Hey guys, and welcome once again to the endnotes. I decided to get the chapter out a little earlier for all of you, though most of you probably won't notice lol. Anyhow, I just wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who's still reading this; and my story traffic feature tells me there are quite a few of you. I know I usually give individual review responses, and I will continue to do so, but I wanted to thank all the readers, too._

_That said, Beth is having internet issues, so this chapter had not been beta'd. My apologies for any spelling or grammar mistakes that may have resulted from this._

_I do hope you'll stick with me till the end, and enjoy!_

_~Kiku~_

_**Review Responses:**_

_Jiyoung: Well, I have a beta-reader who helps me catch errors, which is always nice. If (like this week) I either don't get chapters to her on time or she has internet issues, I usually do go over them a couple extra times myself to look for that sort of thing. I'm glad it seems to work! And thank you for the compliment, I'm glad you're continuing to enjoy._

_Clara954: I think Sano will be okay, maybe Megumi will forgive him, just this once? As for Shishio, I actually hadn't thought about it. I guess he probably will be burned, and I think I'll write it like his ten (twelve?) are already with him, plus Yumi. I know a lot of fans hate her, but I think she's interesting._

_Brit02: Don't worry about it. I think it's great that I was able to help with your story in some small way, and if you say it's not copying, I will take your word for it. I think the world is basically just one big idea exchange anyway, and as long as we don't intentionally claim credit for what someone else has done, we'll all be fine. Feel free to ask questions of me if you need more help; I have a couple tricks for fending off writer's block if you need them. Not that I'm super-great or anything, just that I think talking to other writers is helpful._

_Satora-wolf: Yeah, Hiko's reaction thus far has been pretty under-whelming, but I think he's probably going to get stuck into Kenshin next chapter. *evil laugh* We shall see, we shall see… And yes, go Sano, indeed. I wasn't even going to write that scene and then Sano-in-my-head (yes, I have mental versions of all these characters; I'm only slightly insane) told me that he'd better get a scene, so I gave him one._

_Daichilover: What can I say? Kenshin-as-not-rurouni (though I'd say he's hardly the Battousai anymore) isn't too verbose. It's part of his charm. I think we'll see him open up more as he comes to accept who he is now, though I can't say I'm planning to make it easy on the poor guy…_

_Gin-Yeah, that actually makes me wonder who'd do the omiai for Kaoru. Probably Aoshi. Or Hiko. Dear God, Hiko. Now __**that **__would be funny. Maybe there should be a oneshot where Hiko and Aoshi go as Kenshin's and Kaoru's family members! And Sano can play Nakoudo! Somebody want to write that?_

_Moriko-chan18: Well, thanks for taking the time to review! I'm glad you like it!_

_Jasmine Blossom625: Awesome! I have 100 reviews! This is the first time I've managed that for anything! Thanks to everyone! And you're welcome for the update lol._

_Caseyedith: Yay, I'm glad you enjoyed it, and picked up on more symbolism, too. (^.^) Yeah, I didn't want to drag the other relationships out too much. By this point in their lives, I pretty much figure Misao and Aoshi have realized they care about each other, but they have way too much to do to deal with it just yet. There's no need to prolong the angst on that one. As for Sano/Meg, they just met recently, so it's a little less ridiculous to include a little I-think-I-might-like-this-idiot/fox woman fluff, though I'm not much at writing fluff/romance full-stop really. Which fails to explain this story at all. (.)_

_Helloooo: Lol, did I get the right number of o's? Haha, I'm happy you're enjoying it enough to review._

_Pterion: You are seriously outrageously nice, has anyone ever told you that? Your trip sounds amazing. I was in New York a couple months ago, and I loved all the museums and art and huge buildings! Can you tell I'm from a small town? I hope you have a blast!_

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Reviews requested, plugged for, appreciated, desired, and loved, but never demanded. Until next time, my friends!


	12. Chapter 12: Decided

Chapter 12: Decided

_There is nothing like returning to a place that remains unchanged to find the ways in which you yourself have altered._

_-Nelson Mandela_

_

* * *

_

Hiko schooled his expression into neutrality with the ease born of a lifetime of practice, but he made no attempt to reign in his roiling ki. Three days of constant training, and still the baka could not see the point. It was time for a new approach.

"Sit," he barked tersely. The young man's obedience was instantaneous, but even this only served to irk his teacher more. Could he not see how things had changed? It was almost as though he were attempting to pick up where he had left off, as though nothing had happened. Hiko wasn't going to stand for that.

"Tell me about the past five years." Short, sweet, to the point. There was no way he was going to avoid this.

As usual, the baka wouldn't meet his eyes, though he was far too proud to lower his own as Kaoru would have were she ashamed. Instead, he fixed them at a point some distance over his master's left shoulder. The dark-haired man decided to leave it be for the moment. There were more important considerations to be dealt with.

"I joined the Isshin Shishi almost as soon as I left. I was a hitokiri, and did what you would expect. They called me Battousai. What else is there to tell?" The redhead's tone was flat, without inflection, and Hiko suppressed a growl.

Switching tactics, he brought up something else. "Why are you here?"

The question seemed to take his student by surprise, which Hiko counted as a good thing. At least he was getting a reaction. "To finish my training."

Hiko briefly wondered whether the sound of his teeth grinding was audible, but decided it hardly mattered. He wasn't the most patient of men, but this was getting to be a waste of his time. "And why," he intoned carefully, "did you decide, after all these years, that finishing your training was actually necessary?"

That had hit home, and it was painfully obvious. "There is a man I must defeat, and I will not be able to unless I master the Hiten Mitsurugi."

Resisting the urge to drag a hand down his face, Hiko continued to prod deeper. There was something Kenshin needed to realize before he'd be ready to learn the final techniques; if he did not have it, the training would kill him. Even considering the alternative, the master wasn't going to let his student die because he was unprepared.

"And why does this particular man have to die? As a favor to an old superior? Sentimentality of that kind will only get you killed, baka. Tell me, what makes you think you deserve to learn it, anyway? Why should I bother teaching a student who abandoned my instruction five years ago? Give me one good reason, and your own personal obligations will not move me." He glowered menacingly as his pupil's silence stretched into minutes. At last, he stood abruptly. "Come back when you figure it out." For now, there was a potter's wheel that could use some tending to.

* * *

Kaoru sat on Hiko's veranda, the still-closed third scroll laying in front of her. It was a little confusing, actually, because she was pretty certain that the technique described on the other scroll she had been given- frustratingly difficult as it was- constituted the epitome of all her father's work. What, then, could possibly be written on this one?

_Well, there's no use speculating when it's right here in front of me. _Still, there was something almost sacred about this scroll. It was the last contact she would ever have with her father, outside of often-indistinct childhood memories. For a moment, she delayed in opening it, allowing herself to become temporarily lost in the pleasant hum and warmth of those fuzzy images of fireworks in summer, lessons in the dojo, and pleasant evenings spent chatting about whatever her flighty child's mind wandered to or wondered about.

Then she opened her eyes, and was brought back to the present. She wasn't in Tokyo anymore, and it did her very little good to stay in the sanctuary of her recollections. So it was with some reverence but little ceremony that she broke the seal on the third and final document and unrolled it.

Her father's writing, usually steady and sure, was here possessed of a slight waver, though the shaking of Kaoru's own hands as she held it made it difficult to tell. She forced herself to be still, and read the words within once, twice, and then a third time before laying the paper before her.

_Dearest Kaoru-_

_ If you are reading this, it means that I am gone, and never had the chance to say in person what is written here. It also means you have found Hiko, my senpai, and that he has deemed you worthy to learn what it took me half a lifetime to create. _

_ As I write this, your mother watches over you in the next room, and I can only hope that for all our sakes, you will never see what is written here. Still, I cannot rely on that, and so I must commit this to paper. _

_ Hopefully I lasted at least long enough to teach you the rudiments of our style. If I did my job properly, I taught you that our sword is one that gives life, that protects those who cannot protect themselves. This is an ideal that it is often hard to preserve in this world, but it is one that I have come to believe in above all others. But know this, my daughter: it is our job to protect not only the weak, but the strong, for sometimes, it is they who are the most vulnerable. I'll not explain further; it is something you must see for yourself._

_ Understand, then, that when it comes down to it, your greatest weapon is the kindness of your heart. Know also that, whatever number of years separates my writing from your reading of this, that one things always holds true, more than anything I can say. I love you, my dearest child, and that will give me strength enough to do what I must. I can only hope that you, too, will one day know the kind of love that removes all in its path. I have to stop now, though, your mother calls for me._

Kaoru smiled despite her bleary eyes as she read and reread the letter. It was just like her father to leave off doing something for the sake of herself or her mother. This letter was exactly what she had needed to ease her anxieties. After seeing so much bloodshed, she had begun to wonder if her father's ideas could really stand up to the sheer violence of the world. Now, though, she had a new appreciation for it. Her job was not only to protect the weak form the strong, but the strong from _themselves. _

She exhaled softly and rolled the scroll with the greatest care, tucking it away into her russet-colored gi. She hadn't cried since the day her father died, and she wasn't planning on losing it now, not when there was so much left to be done. Then again, with a task like hers, there was probably no end.

Still, there was something she could do now. Standing abruptly and pushing back her sleeves, she brushed imaginary dust smartly from her dark brown hakama and took up her sakabatou. There was a succession technique to be mastered, and damned if she was going to give up after only three days.

* * *

Kenshin was suitably flabbergasted when Hiko left him. Well, actually, he was more surprised by his own inability to answer the question. To him, the answer that had been so self-evident before had ceased to exist. He needed to kill Shishio why? For Katsura? _No, this isn't about what Katsura wants. _Besides, Hiko had all but said that such an answer would be unsatisfactory. Why _was_ he doing this? It certainly felt like he should be. Shishio was a menace to Japan, and would continue to be so if allowed to remain as he was.

But the swordsman had abandoned any ideological alignment with the half-formed Meiji government when he left the ranks of their army. No, the bigger question here was the one Hiko had only implied: what could possibly make him worthy of learning the final technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi? Any answer that would satisfy his master would have to answer both questions at once.

The problem was, Kenshin knew that there was no such answer. He _wasn't _truly worthy to take up his master's style, not after the things he had done. Openly defied the only adult who had thought him worth raising, run away from his duty as a student, killed innumerable people, both wicked and innocent, and then had the gall to assume that he could start over again, as though none of that had ever occurred. He owed Hiko an account of his actions that he knew now he simply could not provide.

He stood, and took to wandering where his feet would take him. He needed to find something, anything to take his mind off this realization. Kenshin immediately knew the solution, but he shook his head. There were a lot of things he didn't deserve, and solace was definitely one of them. And so he tried to block it out and continued to move about aimlessly.

Unfortunately, it seemed his feet had a mind of their own, and they agreed with the part of himself that wanted so desperately to be calmed. And so it was with no small amount of trepidation that he found himself a short distance from Hiko's house, and five feet from Kaoru.

She appeared to have been meditating, but at his appearance, cracked an eyelid and gave him a small smile, patting the ground next to her in a gesture of invitation. He hesitated, unsure of whether he should accept given recent realizations about the nature of his reactions to her presence, but in the end decided that since he would likely be leaving her for good quite soon, it wouldn't hurt.

"How do you think Sano's doing?" she asked lightly. Their companion had left about two days ago, saying he sensed something in the forest that might help him in his own training more than any of them could. Kaoru had let him go, trusting implicitly in his ability to take care of himself, and Kenshin had hardly thought he should protest either.

"I'm sure he's fine," he replied, though in truth he had not given it much thought. As usual, he was becoming rapidly distracted by her ki, but this time he allowed it, and the sensation brought much-welcomed relief from his torment. He would have to add leeching off the kindness of an innocent to his list of crimes; somehow, it made him feel worse than almost any of the other things he had done, simply because she _had _been so kind to him, of all people. But that, too, could be thought about later.

"You're probably right," she responded thoughtfully. "How's your training going? Hiko-sensei's not being too hard on you, is he?" He was silent, and she seemed to sense his discomfort. Where most people would have taken that as an obvious hint to drop the subject, Kaoru chose instead to ask another question.

"What happened?"

He stared hard at the landscape before them as he tried to formulate his answer. Normally, he wouldn't have bothered trying to answer her, but he felt he owed her for the unrealized (on her part) debt that he was swiftly accumulating. Besides, as weak as he thought himself for it, he _wanted _to tell her. Because, well, it seemed that if anyone could understand, it would be this most strange woman.

_Fool. How could she understand what it's like to be a murderer and a criminal? She's never killed anyone in her life, and you corrupt her with your very existence. _The cynical part of his mind was heard but largely ignored by the part that needed to speak.

"He asked me why it was that I needed to learn the final technique, and I was unable to produce an adequate answer."

She snorted softly, causing him to turn and look at her. Despite the rather unrefined noise, her face held a look of concern that made him immediately regret speaking. _She should not be so concerned over the likes of me._

"Of course he'd do something like that," she sighed. "I don't suppose you've figured it out since then?" When he shook his head, it was her turn to stare out at the forest beyond them. He watched her consider it, and noted that her brows tended to furrow just a little when she was deep in thought, and that she had a tendency to gnaw at her lower lip.

"Well, in my experience, people usually fight for a number of reasons. Some of them are personal, and others have more to do with the way people think, or the way they see the world. Most people have both kinds at the same time." Here she paused, and he could not help but ask the obvious question.

"What about you?"

She looked at him askance. "Me? I'm no different really. I fight because I want to prove to the world that my father was right. But, on a different level, I fight because I really believe in what he said, and I want to stop people from being hurt. I know it seems strange, but…"

Kenshin inclined his head, but something was still nagging at the edge of his awareness. There was something here he needed to understand, he just knew it. "Would you… explain this to me? This sword that does not kill?"

Kaoru's eyes lit up, and she smiled widely. He had to remind himself that he did not deserve to smile with her, else he might well have done so. "Of course! My father once trained under the same master as Hiko-sensei, but he wasn't the one chosen to receive the succession techniques. So instead, he set about traveling the country, looking for ways to supplement the basics of the Hiten Mitsurugi with other things. He believed that a sword was a tool to protect people, and so he only ever carried a bokken. Still, he was able to adapt many otherwise lethal techniques to his needs, and eventually he was able to invent his own succession techniques." The pride was evident in her voice, and she accompanied her little speech with energetic gestures.

"Like the one you used on Saito." He couldn't help but catch some of her enthusiasm, and it prompted him to ask. If that was indeed a succession technique, then the style she used was still quite formidable, even without lethality.

She nodded expressively. "Exactly. I cannot and will not take a life, but a sword? I can certainly take one of those." She chuckled at her own joke, and a corner of his mouth twitched in response.

Suddenly, her expression turned somber. "But being out on the battlefield has tested my resolve about many things."

Kenshin understood well what she was talking about. "And?"

There was a subtle change in her face; a hardening of the ocean-colored eyes and a stubborn lift to her chin. "It is hard, not to stick to my ideals myself, but to convince others of their truth. There are many good people who have killed, and will continue to do so until the need is no longer there. But I've decided that this is just part of the way the world is. It will do me no good to try and convince anyone. I just have to keep doing what I know is right, and hope that my effort is enough."

Her resolve left him momentarily unable to speak. How could someone who had seen the monsters human beings could be possibly believe this? It wasn't that he wished to convince her otherwise, but perhaps because he needed her to understand that he spoke again.

"For every good person that kills, there is someone who kills good people. And some of those are not good people at all." She had to know, had to stop believing in people like him. Killers were killers, and that was the long and short of it. If she didn't realize this, she would die for it someday.

"Is that how you see yourself, Kenshin?" she asked softly, and he watched with surprise as moisture began to build up in her eyes. "As some kind of murderer who can never be redeemed?"

"How I see myself doesn't matter," he replied flatly. "It's what I am."

She shook her head emphatically. "No, it's not. It might have been, if you had been unable to stop yourself. But you did. You left that all behind. I know I may seem naïve to you, but I have seen enough of the world to know a good person from a bad one. And you're a good person, Kenshin, you really are."

And for a moment, her gentle words and soft ki almost convinced him. He tore himself away from the influence hard, and was left somewhat reeling when his normal, Kaoru-free perception of the world came rushing back in. "And just how," he replied quietly, "do you think you know about me at all?" He stood, and turned to leave. This had been a bad idea all along, and he should have seen it. What could she do but believe in his goodness? If she hadn't, her entire worldview would fall apart. She didn't believe in _him, _she believed in _people. _And either of those beliefs would have been mistaken.

* * *

"Kenshin, what-" Kaoru sprang to her feet and followed him. She had known that he felt morose about what he had done, and she had accepted that as part of the natural process of moving on from it. She had not, however, expected him to react in such a way to what she saw as an easily-defensible truth.

For a moment, she considered the possibility that she was just being far too nosy. He was right of course; she knew very little about him. That, too, she figured would resolve itself eventually, and it had seemed until a few moments ago that he was finally starting to open up to her somewhat.

_I wish Sano were here. _For all his bluster and affected immaturity, Sano had better people skills than anyone she knew. It was like he could look at somebody and know what they were thinking. Kaoru desperately wished she had that ability, but for now it seemed as though the only way to get to the root of this problem was to make Kenshin talk.

He had stalked off closer to Hiko's house, and was now sitting with his back towards her on the veranda. She noticed with a touch of irony that it was the exact same place she had read her father's letter that morning. _Father, I think I'm beginning to understand what you mean. _Barring Hiko and her father, Kenshin was probably the strongest person she had ever met, but he wrestled with demons that were even more tenacious.

Well, he was about to learn the hard way that his demons weren't the only stubborn ones. If he thought that just moving a few hundred yards was a good way to get her to leave him alone, he was sorely mistaken.

Still, it wouldn't do her any good to say so; it would probably just make him try something else. She needed to get him to talk to her.

"You're right," she said as she took her seat beside him. "I know very little of your life and what you've been through. But I do not think that this makes me erroneous. If you can convince me that you aren't a good person, perhaps I will understand. But I don't think you can." She laced the apology with a careful challenge.

He turned, and his glare bored into her. This wasn't good. It was the same one he'd had when they first met. Those eyes didn't belong to Kenshin, they belonged to Battousai the Manslayer.

Well. She hadn't been afraid of that when she fought him then, and she certainly wasn't going to let it cow her now. So she stared right back, letting her ki rise to meet his elevated levels. She blinked, and knew her eyes had changed, because she could see everything a little more sharply than before.

At this, he seemed to settle a little bit. Well, at least he didn't look like he wanted to kill her anymore. That was progress, right?

She opened her mouth to continue, but he cut her off by speaking first. "I've killed people in cold blood, for a cause that I stopped believing in a long time ago. What does that make me but wicked?"

Kaoru chewed her lower lip thoughtfully. "I don't know how I can make you believe this, but I meant what I said at the Aoiya. It doesn't matter to me what you've done in the past. Good people can do bad things, but you've changed. You started changing the moment you didn't kill Takeda, maybe even before that, I don't know."

"But I still have to kill Shishio. Nothing has really changed at all," he replied flatly.

Kaoru sighed. She was getting tired of his complete reticence to even consider the possibility, and she had no idea where it was coming from. "Do you really have to? I understand that you have to defeat him, but you know as well as I do that the two are not the same."

There was a prolonged silence during which neither looked at the other. Kaoru for her part watched as the sun slowly set, lighting the sky in brilliant hues of orange and golds that reminded her of the redheaded samurai's eyes. She could feel her eyelids drooping slightly by the time he spoke next, and even considering the relative silence, she had to strain her ears to hear him.

"It wasn't I that changed myself."

She was thoroughly confused. "What?"

He turned suddenly and caught her gaze with his own, and Kaoru thought that he looked… _haunted _somehow. "You changed me," he said, and she felt her breath catch in her throat.

"I… what?" That had been the last thing she was expecting to hear, and she wasn't quite sure how to respond.

"I said it was you. If not for you, I would never have changed at all. _You _are the good person. Not me." As he spoke, she had leaned forward to catch the impossibly quiet words, and realized with some surprise that they were awfully close together, enough so that she could feel his breath on her cheek.

Apparently, he realized the same thing at about the same time, and they both shot back to sit up straight, and she fought to keep the blush from rising.

It was a few moments before either of them spoke again. She was about ready to tell him that she had had nothing to do with it- as flattering as it was to think so- when he startled her by talking first.

"I don't understand you," he said simply. "I never have. That was why I spared you the first time." His voice was husky, his pitch still low, as though it pained him to admit it. "After that, the idea of killing you just seemed… repulsive somehow. But, I killed others after that, even though it started to bother me. When I let Saito take Jin-e, I committed treason. My superior allowed me to escape, but also gave me all the information on Shishio."

Kaoru searched his profile for any hint of further explanation, but he seemed to be studiously avoiding eye contact, and his posture was rigid as she had ever seen it. "Do you feel you owe him? This superior of yours?"

"A little, perhaps, but not that much."

"I see. But you still want to do it." There was a slight nod. "Then there already is a reason. You just have to figure it out. As for me, I'm not that complicated. I just wish you could see what I see when I look at you."

"Which is?"

She fought not to flush, but knew it was a losing battle. "Someone who is lost. A truly gentle person who was led to become something he was not."

* * *

There was more silence, which both of them allowed to stand this time. Kenshin's thoughts were a roiling mass of memories, self-effacing accusations, and most prevalently the sensation of being within inches of Kaoru. He was internally berating himself for the mistake he had almost made moments ago, and for letting her get to the point where she had begun to trust him.

No, it never should have worked out this way. He should have just left when he realized he had no answer for Hiko, walked out of everyone's lives for good. But now that the opportunity had passed to do so once, he understood that it would only get harder with time. The problem was, he didn't _want _to go. Here was the one person he had ever met around whom he felt truly at ease, or at least he would if he allowed himself to. He had spoken things to her which he would never have consciously allowed himself to speak to another, and she hadn't run from him. She seemed to accept him for everything that he was, which he couldn't say he found particularly wise, bit was certainly a comfort.

And her assessment of him was… forgiving. She had told him that she was uncomplicated, but he knew that, at least, to be false. It took more than kindness or a gentle disposition to consciously forgive someone like him, and more than that to know that he _needed_ to be forgiven.

His thoughts tended in this direction for a few more minutes before everything was brought to a screeching halt. He felt a weight settle on his left shoulder, and looked down to discover that Kaoru was leaning against it, apparently asleep. The steady rise and fall of her breath only confirmed it. The contact caused an odd feeling to shoot up his spine, not altogether unpleasant, and he was careful to remain still, lest she wake up.

He _should _wake her up, of course, but that annoyingly large part of himself that reveled in her presence prevented him from doing so. Instead, careful not to shift too much, he leaned over and let his nose hover a few inches from the top of her head. Inhaling, he caught that familiar scent of jasmine, mixed with the wet earth of the surrounding forest. It seemed that the smell must be something unique to Kaoru, for there was surely no jasmine in the area.

Strangely emboldened, he risked running his forefinger and thumb through her ponytail. The hair was a bit tangled, doubtless from training, but still soft to the touch. He worked a couple of the knots loose before he felt her stir, and his hand immediately shot back to his side. _What am I doing? _This wasn't right at all.

Still moving delicately so as not to wake her, Kenshin shifted her against his chest and picked her up. He would take her to her room and settle her on her futon, and ignore how pleasant her warmth felt against him in the chillier night air. Then, perhaps, he could return to thinking clearly.

* * *

Hiko sat at his wheel, shaping the clay into a bowl with ease. At first, being a potter was simply his excuse to live as far away from the rest of the world as possible. It was an occupation he had inherited from his master, and one Koshijiro had never understood. The other man had been far more social, though even he had admitted that pottery was quite soothing at times.

Hiko himself had to agree. What was once an excuse was now an occupation in its own right, one that served quite well to pass the scads of free time he'd had in the past year. He was no great artisan, having devoted far too much of his life to mastering something else entirely, but his pieces were functional, and sold pretty well in Kyoto.

His tranquility was interrupted, however, when he sensed his student moving towards him. _This had better be good. _ Sighing inwardly, he stood and swung round to meet the baka, crossing his arms. It would never do to seem like he was unprepared for this little visit.

Kenshin, upon reaching this space behind his house, came to an abrupt stop about five feet away. From the dark circles under his eyes, it had been some time since he slept last. _Good, he'd better have been figuring it out. _Truly, Hiko didn't like seeing his students suffer, but he recognized the value of such struggles, especially in this case.

"Well?" he inquired imperiously.

His baka deshi hesitated, then said, "I was a fool to leave, but the goal I fought for is still a worthy one, though one I should have approached differently. I will not be ashamed that I helped create a country where there is no Shogun. I will, however, regret for the rest of my life the deaths I caused to do it."

Hiko snorted. _Now we're getting somewhere. _"And what, exactly, does this have to do with Makoto Shishio?'

Kenshin took a steadying breath, though he tried to hide that this was what it was. "I'm not done yet. If Shishio takes over, then all those deaths will have been for nothing. He'll just be another Shogun."

At this, Hiko laughed. It was a sound more akin to barking than anything else, and there was absolutely no humor in it. "That's it? That's your great revelation? What makes you think that the same logic will produce different results?" He took a step forward, to loom over his much shorter apprentice, who glared up at him defiantly. _That's new. Is he finally growing a spine?_

"I want," Kenshin enunciated slowly, "to create a world where she is right."

The tension fell out of Hiko's muscles immediately, though he did not allow it to show. _That's better. _"And what kind of world is that?"

"One where a sword really is used to protect people. I know as well as you do that it isn't true, but I like it a great deal more than what is."

Hiko uncrossed his arms slowly, and looked at his apprentice anew. "You do realize," he replied skeptically, "that such a world is impossible? Kaoru is exactly like her father. She believes in people, believes that even a killer can be turned down the path of righteousness, as though there were any such thing for anyone but them."

Kenshin lifted a shoulder, and Hiko understood the perfect irony of the situation. It seemed that, in somehow convincing the baka that her ideal was worth fighting for, she had made it that much more real. Hiko doubted she even realized what she had done. "You know this means you can't kill him."

The redhead nodded. "I shouldn't have to, if you agree to teach me."

Hiko's eyes narrowed briefly. He couldn't say that he believed anything that Koshijiro or Kaoru said about the world, but he knew that people who did were necessary. If everyone was as fatalistic as he was, after all, there would be no chance in hell that it could ever change. "So you will protect this little ideal of hers?"

Kenshin smiled slightly and shook his head. "No. I think she can do that well enough on her own. I will do what is necessary to ensure that she can."

"Without killing anyone?"

"Without killing anyone."

Hiko raised an eyebrow. "Does she know?"

Another shrug. "I don't think so. It was a realization I came to recently. Did you know she believes me to be a good person?"

The master of the Hiten Mitsurugi snorted. "She thinks the same of me."

"And so I decided that rather than fight it, I'd try to comply." Kenshin tilted his head to the side, a mannerism Hiko hadn't seen since his apprentice was about thirteen. "Does this mean you will teach me?"

"Follow me, and don't complain when it gets too hard, because you're the one that asked for it."

* * *

About four days later, Sano had left his place of training, as well as the mysterious monk calling himself Anji, and wandered his way back to Hiko's house. He watched idly for a time as Kaoru tried to master some strange move that she had doubtless read about on one of those scrolls. It seemed to involve striking at a precise place on and opponent's sword, because she was practicing with one of Hiko's rarely-used training dummies. After a while, though, he lost interest, and scanned the area for any sign of Hiko or Kenshin.

Finding none, he was slightly perturbed. He couldn't sense either of them, which meant they were quite some distance away. "Hey missy!" he called, "Any idea where Kenshin and the old man are?"

Kaoru lowered her sword and swiped a hand across her forehead. "Training, I suppose." Sano couldn't help but think that the smile that accompanied this statement was a little much for the situation, but he didn't say so.

"Well, all right then. I guess I'm gonna go catch a snooze." He yawned widely and stretched languidly until Kaoru rolled her eyes, then chuckled and meandered off to find a nice shady spot for his nap.

* * *

Kenshin drew in his breaths rapidly, forcing himself to remain upright. Hiko had been pushing him to the point of exhaustion for what felt like weeks on end, but could only have been days at the most. Either way, his reflexes seemed to be the only thing keeping him alive at this point. Any chance of mentally analyzing what was going on had vanished yesterday at the latest.

For all that, Hiko seemed hardly affected. Well, perhaps that wasn't quite true. He'd finally shed his weighted cloak a few hours ago, and that was perhaps why he seemed so much more refreshed than his student. Either way, if this didn't stop soon, Kenshin was going to collapse.

_No, I can't think like that. There's a point to this, I just have to figure it out._

All inclinations in that direction were immediately cut off as his master took a swing at his legs, forcing the already-winded Kenshin to jump into the air. Twisting his body around so that he landed facing his master's side, he realized halfway through his counterstrike that the man simply wasn't there anymore.

It was just as he had located his opponent with his ki sense that pain bloomed across his back. Kenshin fell unceremoniously to the dirt with a _thud. _There was no way a move like that would have caught him off-guard were he rested, but as it was, the sensation was almost unbearable. In a matter of a week, he'd gone from untouchable on a field of battle to taking hits from Kaoru and a full-on beating from Hiko.

"Get up." The other man's tone was not overly harsh, but it was an order all the same. Ignoring the black spots that danced across the edge of his vision whenever he flexed the muscles near his shoulder blades, Kenshin complied. Leaning on the sword that he had somehow maintained grip on, he managed to push himself past a wave of nausea and to his feet.

"Do you remember what I showed you?"

Though his neck protested viciously, he nodded, since he could not trust himself to speak.

The answering nod was firm. "Good. You should know that there's a reason for all this. That move is all about your instinct. You can't trust your mind to think about it, because your mind can be fooled. I've given you no other option than to trust yourself. Now, come at me with everything you've got."

Kenshin's grip tightened on his blade, but then he hesitated. "I could kill you." Even with a sakabatou, the move was potentially lethal, that much he was able to tell having only seen it once.

Hiko grinned, the feral smile of the mountain cat. "You're supposed to," he replied. "Lucky for me, apprentice number two seems to have convinced you that it might not be a good idea."

The redheaded samurai regarded the blade in his hand thoughtfully. That much was true; seeing how Kaoru lived made him want to swear off killing for good, he just wasn't sure if it was possible. Not in a situation like this. And either way, he certainly did not want to kill Hiko. Maybe if he came at it a little differently, but…

"I obviously didn't beat you hard enough, baka. You're thinking again. Trust your instincts. Besides, if I were that easy to kill, I wouldn't be standing here right now, so get a move on, before we're both old."

Perhaps it was his fatigue, but Kenshin couldn't see anything else for it. He needed to learn this technique, and Hiko seemed willing enough to accept the risks involved. Gripping the hilt of his gold-chased sakabatou tightly, he sheathed it before allowing his hold to loosen, hand hovering a few inches away. Hiko stood in much the same position, which likely meant… _no. Instinct alone. _

Abandoning all conscious thought, Kenshin allowed his mind to slip into the meditative trance he had been drilled in as a boy. Distorted images and memories took the opportunity to rise to the forefront, but he ignored them in favor of that one special quality that separated a sword-wielder from a true samurai: fighter's instinct.

There was a long stretch of time during which neither moved. Kenshin waited, sharp senses taking in and filtering various pieces of information. The hot sun of early summer beat down on his still-throbbing neck and back, his breathing steadied, Hiko shifted his weight slightly to the outside of his left foot.

Two realizations came to Kenshin at once: the importance of footwork and the fact that it was time to attack _now. _Immediately reacting to both without taking the time to process, he launched forward with a cry, eyes flashing, a grin to match Hiko's own splitting his face.

* * *

Kaoru fell back onto the ground behind her with a small laugh of delight. _I've done it!_ After days of practice, hours of agonizing over her father's last technique, she had at last come to see the intention behind it. And with that realization had come a much swifter path to mastery. _Half of swordsmanship is understanding the lesson, _she thought, a little smugly. She couldn't help it. While she was far from a master still, she at least knew her complete style, and there was something immensely satisfying in that knowledge. She knew, too, that her father's work had been incomplete. He had all but told her so numerous times when she was younger, and her impression now was that he had intended her to create as well as learn.

_Father… _Kaoru fingered the indigo ribbon she still kept tucked between the layers of her gi. She wore it on occasion, but it was hardly a thing for sword now, she was helped by memories like the one the silk band called up, by her recollections of his love and devotion. He was arming her with everything she needed to carry her dream forward, and things seemed to be falling into place.

Well, most things, anyway. There was still the matter of Kenshin. She sighed theatrically and pillowed her head underneath her arms. After their strange talk about a week ago, he had gone to Hiko, who had apparently agreed to train him. While she was elated at this- for she hoped it meant Kenshin was starting to forgive himself, just a bit- she wasn't exactly sure where she stood with him.

Which was something she was realizing was very, very important to her. She fought down the blush as she remembered waking up in her futon the morning after their discussion, and realizing that she must have fallen asleep on him. Not only was it mortally embarrassing, but she might have missed him saying something important! What if he had been able to come up with an answer to Hiko's question? Well, she assumed he had, but it would have been good to be there for it. She might never know what it had been, and she wasn't quite nosy enough to ask just yet.

She drifted in and out of wakefulness for a while, and her sleepy thoughts allowed her to consider his beautiful, dangerous eyes, flame-colored hair, and quiet, stoic manner without shame. _Oh, how Misao will tease me… _she thought dreamily. _Actually, never mind Misao, Megumi is never going to let me hear the end of it, once they find out I've fallen in love with Kenshin… _Her eyes snapped open, and she sat bolt upright. _Wait, what? Love? No, no, no, bad idea, Kaoru! _

There were so many logical reasons why she should immediately forget she'd ever thought that. First of all, he clearly did not feel that way about her. Sure, he'd said nice things about how she'd helped him, but anyone would have done that, right? And it certainly didn't mean he was anything other than grateful. Second, he was _Kenshin _for goodness' sake! He had bigger things to deal with than some silly girl's irrational feelings for him, and as soon as Shishio was… gone, he was likely to be, too. He had no reason to stay, after all.

_Ugh, this is simply too ridiculous to ponder further. _With that thought firmly in mind, Kaoru stood and smartly about-faced to march herself into Hiko's house, ignoring the strange look Sano shot her when she passed him.

* * *

_Dearest Readers,_

_Ohmygosh, you guys are SO awesome! I got 18 reviews last chapter! That's like, AMAZING! I have the best readers EVER!_

_Okay, weird freakouts aside, I feel I have rewarded you poorly with this chapter. It took me like two days longer than usual to write, and I finished it literally five minutes ago. I really feel bad about how it turned out, because I just can't write emotions/fluff/whatever, and I'm sorry if Kenshin got kind of angsty there, but at least he's mostly over it now, right? _

_Also sorry for that rant. You guys don't need to hear about my writing issues. Urk. At any rate, please forgive me, and I promise the next one will be better._

_~Kiku~_

_**Review Responses:**_

_Clara954: Thanks! This story has made me way more confident in my ability to write action scenes, and I think that's what I like most about it. And I love Sano, so it makes me happy when other people like how I've portrayed him._

_Jiyoung: Awesome, good to know I've got good imagery! (^.^)_

_Hayhay: You're welcome, and thank you! People seem to be fond of a stronger Kaoru, which is nice, because I just can't see myself writing her any other way._

_Blueicequeen: Wow, I've gotten some nice compliments, but you're the first person to call this a "masterpiece." I think you praise me too much, but I'm flattered all the same._

_Paramecio: Far be it from me to deny you your fix lol. Thanks for the review!_

_Gabby1994: He did deserve it, didn't he? They're mostly over it now though, so onward with plot progression!_

_Aryy: Eheh… yeah, it's gonna be a process._

_SRAS9: Why thank you!_

_JasmineBlossom625: I'm happy you think I managed it. Thanks for your continued reviews!_

_Caseyedith: Yay! You liked it! I always struggle with what details go in and which ones do not, so it's good to hear that it works for you. And yes, Kaoru's cooking… oh my._

_JMai: No worries; I totally understand exams, believe me! Hopefully, you got more of Hiko this time round- he's so very much fun to write. And thanks- your reviews are always great._

_Jenni: I'll certainly try, and thanks for the encouragement._

_Kokoronogamu: It's official: you're at least as silly as me. But your review made me laugh, which was just fantastic. Thanks for that. _

_Brit02: Yeah, this story was fully outlined before I published the first chapter lol. It's the only way I can keep myself on track. My outline is considerably less complete from this chapter on, which is part of the reason I had so many issues with it…_

_Pterion: Waa! Your reviews are always so encouraging. Thanks so much for that. Also, you're from Melbourne? I live in the US now, but I'm from Perth, so go Aussies! Sorry, random tangent. But yes, as for where I come up with stuff, I just generally picture it in my head and describe what I'm seeing. Yeah, I'm not doing a good job at convincing any of you that I'm sane, am I?_

_Satora-wolf: Glad the insanity is acceptable then. And yeah, the loss of his arm would have been a problem, eh?_

_Aslickain Kiant: Nyah, I think you profusely for the compliment; it really does mean a lot. Sano and Megumi's relationship is so fun. It's pretty much 10% affection, 90% snarkiness. _

_Lame poet: Haha, don't be jealous! It's harder than it looks (at least, I hope it looks kinda easy)._

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Well, that's it for this week. As ever, reviews desired but not required.


	13. Chapter 13: Tensed

Chapter 13: Tensed

_The world stands aside to let anyone pass who knows where he is going._

_-David Starr Jordan_

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* * *

_

It was another day or so before Kenshin and Hiko returned to the house, and Sano could understand why. Watching them both hobble into the clearing was not an attractive sight. Both were covered in cuts and bruises –though Kenshin was more purple than flesh-colored- and Hiko was sporting a long, oozing wound that appeared to have been bleeding internally at some point, judging from the state of the bandages.

Which explained why it had taken them so long to arrive. _Even once they had finished whatever training they'd been at, it would have taken another day at least for the old man to be able to walk right again. If a technique can do something like that to the old stone-man himself, I don't really wanna know what it could do to someone else._

While he was busy being impressed, Kaoru had let out a small noise and rushed over to them. Currently, Hiko was in the process of grumbling about how he was completely fine and not so weak as to need help dealing with a wound from a weapon without a blade. Kenshin, for his part, accepted her ministrations quietly, though Sano noticed he studiously avoided looking at her for longer than was necessary. For her part, as soon as she had discovered that they really were okay, Kaoru turned a couple shades of pink and backed off abruptly._ What the heck's going on there? I feel like I've missed somethin'… _He resolved to keep an eye on it, but said nothing.

Apparently forcing herself beyond whatever had caused her initial embarrassment, Kaoru looked at both of them expectantly. "Does this mean Kenshin has mastered the final technique?" she asked, clearly trying to mask the obvious eagerness in her tone.

Hiko and Kenshin wore matching smirks, which caused her smile to fade slightly, then renew itself at close to what Sano inwardly termed 'full brightness'. "He's still nowhere near as good as me, but he'll do," Hiko replied casually, waving a hand.

"Well, of _course_ nobody's as good as you, Hiko-sensei," Kaoru replied impishly.

"You bet- hey. Are you mocking me? You should know better than that, girl," their teacher growled. But Kaoru just laughed lightly, and Kenshin shook his head. Nobody was taking any threat the old guy made on Kaoru seriously, and they all knew it was because he didn't mean a word of it.

Probably sensing that he'd been had, Hiko changed the topic abruptly. "I take it you'll be headed back to Kyoto soon, then?" There was something in his voice that Sano couldn't quite place. Was it… _regret?_

Kaoru's face fell, and any trace of amusement vanished from Kenshin's. There was still serious business to be attended to, after all. "Yes," she replied quietly. "As soon as Kenshin is ready to travel, we should probably depart."

"As soon as _he's _ready to go? Hmph. You obviously have no idea how long it takes to prepare a load of pottery for the road." The imperious tone was once again in force, but a different current underlay this one. Sano was the first to pick up on it.

"Jeez, old man, you always gotta steal the show, don't ya?" He was rewarded by swift comprehension on the faces of the other two.

"Hiko-sensei, you're coming with us?" Kaoru asked incredulously. "I thought you didn't want to get involved in conflict." The same question was evident in Kenshin's altered posture, though his expression betrayed nothing.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm not going to do anyone else's job for them. I'm going to peddle my wares. And, well, I don't want your old man giving me a lecture in the afterlife about not keeping my promises." This was all grumbled and gruff, but anyone could tell from the way he looked at all three of them as he said it that it was all of them he was concerned for.

Before anyone could say anything in response, Hiko continued. "Hey Sano, why don't you help me with these bowls, and you two can get ready." It wasn't really a suggestion, so Sano offered a shrug before following the old man behind the house.

Theirs was an odd relationship. Sano showed Hiko none of the deference he demanded in others, but the older man never took him to task for it. Perhaps it was because he made his respect known in less obvious ways, but Hiko treated him less as someone of his students' age and more as a fellow warrior. There was a certain amount of distance, but it was clear enough that as long as he did not interfere with training, Sano was a welcome guest as well. Perhaps it was simply because he never _had _been Hiko's student.

The old man wasted no time with preamble once they were safely out of earshot of the other two. "How much do you know about Makoto Shishio?"

Sano's breath hissed out from between his teeth, accompanied by a few clicks of the tongue. "Well, not much. Kenshin brought a bunch of data from somebody he used to know. The Oniwaban have no doubt been doing more recon since, but I don't know what they've found. "

A grunt of acknowledgement indicated that Hijo had expected as much. "Well, then, allow me to educate you. Even I've heard of Shishio, and that's saying something. He's not somebody to be carelessly trifled with. Though he would fall easily to someone like me, my apprentice will have much more difficulty."

This time, there was no joke about Hiko's ego to be made. Sano knew he was speaking truthfully, and the fact that he had even seen fit to deliver this warning spoke to the gravity of the situation.

"This is not my fight, but there is one follower of Shishio that I will be dealing with. When you see the man, you will understand why. But this is not my fight."

Sano understood the implications. "So Kenshin's alone in this one."

Hiko shook his head. "He will not receive any assistance from me. This does not mean he should be alone. Should he be, he won't survive it."

Sano finished stacking the earthenware. "I see where you're going with this, but it's not a problem. The missy and I will be there, and so will the rest of the Oniwaban. When Aoshi takes on a mission he sees it through no matter what he may have told Kenshin." Sano was well aware that the group's involvement officially did not go beyond information-gathering. But if, as Hiko seemed to be suggesting, there was to be a full-scale battle on the streets of Kyoto, then there was no question that they'd be in the middle of it.

There was a nod, and they finished their work in silence.

* * *

In the meantime, Kenshin and Kaoru were left by themselves in the practice field. Both immediately went to work gathering the few things that they needed for the journey. For Kaoru, this amounted only to her scrolls and an extra set of practice clothes. Bundling them together in her room, she sighed at the complete lack of distraction that it provided.

It figured that she wouldn't be able to function normally the next time she saw Kenshin after her traitorous mind had produced such thoughts about him. She had initially been able to forget the awkwardness when she saw that he was injured, but after checking his numerous cuts and discovering that all of them had been well taken care of, she remembered with a great deal of embarrassment exactly how close this examination required her to be to him.

_And now he probably thinks I'm out of my mind. _Another sigh as she turned about, searching her room for anything she might have forgotten. Not that there would be anything; she just wanted to delay the inevitable long wait for Hiko and Sano. _Then again… _it seemed she didn't want to stall so much that she actually would avoid going out there again. At the same time as she didn't desire to deal with what would happen, she did really want to see him. _This is ridiculous. I've been in here, what, half an hour? I'm not so dependent on him that I can't stand to be away from him for that long. That would be just pathetic._

And so she sat in her small, Spartan, private space for another ten minutes, before deciding that no, she didn't _need _to see him, she just really, really _wanted _to. Rolling her eyes at herself, she took one last glance around the space that had been hers for four years. She had an odd feeling that this would be the last time she saw it for a while. Satisfied, she slid the door open and stepped out.

From the side exit, she could hear murmurs of conversation from the rear of the house where Hiko and Sano were. She briefly considered going to help them, but realized there must be a specific reason Hiko-sensei had asked Sano alone to help him. Besides, at this point she was definitely procrastinating. While she wasn't needy, she wasn't a coward either.

As expected, Kenshin was sitting around the front of the house, and did not look up when she came within earshot. Nor did he register any type of recognition when she sat beside him, consciously deciding to put a good foot of space between them. Instead, his gaze was fixed on some unidentifiable point in the distance, mouth set in something of a frown, which was not itself unusual. It did bother her though, since by her estimation, he should be feeling happier now than he had been in a while. Hiko-sensei had agreed to teach him, and he had obviously mastered the succession technique.

His brow crinkled slightly, and she realized with trepidation that she had been staring. Quickly averting her eyes, she tried to find something more interesting than the minutiae of his facial expressions to look at. Unfortunately, there was nothing. So she settled for letting herself follow the lines of the forest landscape, searching out the redbirds she knew were active at this time of year.

"I met you once," she blurted suddenly, "before all this began." She could feel his eyes on her, though she dared not look at him again. "It was just before I made it here for the first time. I guess… you must have been leaving."

"I was," he replied. His voice betrayed no particular emotion, but she wondered how she could ever have thought of anything he said as "flat." There were a myriad of tiny pitch variations in it, and it was almost expressive in the very fact that it was so tightly-controlled. _But that's the thing, isn't it? It's never that he doesn't feel, only ever that he tries not to show it. _The thought caused her heart to stir in sympathy. _How horrible it must be, to have to hide your emotions, to lock them away._

"I had nearly forgotten it, but now that I remember, you were odd even then." Still even-keeled, but with a hint of some emotion she could not name.

The corner of her mouth quirked. "Was I?" She briefly wondered if she should be offended that he continuously referred to her as strange, but decided that it was probably true anyway.

She heard the rustle of his clothing as he nodded, but he said nothing more on the subject. She suspected she knew what he was talking about anyway. It probably would have seemed quite strange, a little girl with bobbed hair and a sword almost as long as she was. It was actually a wonder that more travelers on the road hadn't stopped them and asked who they were. Then again, most people who went the back way like that tended to mind their own business.

"What do you think you will do? When all of this is over, I mean." She snuck a sidelong glance at him, only to find that he was watching her. She slid her eyes back to the landscape quickly, trying not to react to the scrutiny.

"I don't know." There was silence for a time, then Kaoru, somewhat uncomfortable in what was usually a companionable sort of quiet, spoke to fill it.

"I've been thinking I might go back to Tokyo. My father's old dojo is there. I think I might like to teach students as he taught me."

She might have imagined it, but he spoke swiftly enough that she was beginning to think that he was finding the absence of conversation as jarring as she was. "And the boy Yahiko?"

"Oh, I'd take him with me if he were willing to go. Upkeep in that place wasn't that easy, and I could use the help. Of course, that's assuming it's even still there…" Kaoru came to the last thought with no small amount of dread. Was it possible that the dojo no longer stood? There would have been nobody to lay claim on it once she left, after all. Who could say what state it was in? "Sorry, I don't mean to be so morose. I really shouldn't complain."

"It's fine," he murmured. Then: "Kaoru-dono-"

Kaoru was about to tell him that honorifics were highly unnecessary- though she could not hide the slight thrill that accompanied his first use of her given name, but they were interrupted by the sound of heavy footfalls. They both stood immediately to greet the other two, who had emerged from behind Hiko-sensei's house laden with pottery. Not that either of them looked terribly weighed-down, mind you. Nevertheless, dutiful students that they were- or were trying to be- Kenshin and Kaoru both relieved some of the burden from the others, then turned to face the road. As she had learned the first time she had left, Hiko-sensei wasn't much for goodbyes, so her own to the place she had called home for four years of her life, feeling much more final than they had the first time, were silent and to herself.

* * *

Aoshi surveyed the group that sat before him. It seemed that their motley little band was ever increasing in size. All Kaoru's fault, no doubt. She seemed to attract the strong and the troubled towards her like some kind of magnetic force, and the Okashira was not so foolish as to discount himself from that number, either. It was not every day that he allowed his subordinates to bring manslayers into the heart of the organization, nor take off on their own for training.

_I wonder if she even realizes the effect she has on people. _After a bit of internal deliberation, he decided that it was highly unlikely. He supposed that her complete unawareness was actually part of that magnetism. She was what people needed her to be, and the transformations were subtle enough to be unconscious, and never complete enough to alter who she really was.

Leaving that train of thought for the present, the leader of the Oniwaban returned to the matter at hand. If the information his scouts were bringing him was true, he had but a scant week before Makoto Shishio launched a full-scale attack on the city of Kyoto, what he intended to be the starting point of a larger countrywide takeover of the most hostile kind. With the ink still wet on the treaties giving the Meiji official control of Japan, the place would once again be cast into civil unrest.

Unless, of course, the ragtag band in front of him could halt the invasion where it stood. He had sent messengers to his allies within the new government already, men who had not forgotten his late-game support of their efforts in the name of peace. Aoshi was not above cashing in favors when he needed to, and so he was certain that the emperor himself would soon have the information, and that military support- as much as could be offered from the ranks of a half-broken army- would be present to engage the main body of Shishio's force, recently bolstered by recruits from the losing side of the previous conflict.

Aoshi's special forces, however, would be left essentially to himself and the five in front of him, plus the few combatants the Oniwaban had readily on hand. Misao, Himura, Sano, Kaoru, and a man well-known as Seijuro Hiko were the only things standing between Shishio and his throne. For truly, that was what it would come down to in the end. He'd seen the numbers, and the battle between the main forces would work out in Shishio's favor unless he was killed or somehow taken out of commission.

_Well, if it has to be six, I suppose this is the best group for the job, _he thought resignedly, though there was no mistaking the fact that Hiko and Himura were both still major wild cards. He now had Sano's assurances to back up Kaoru's, both reason enough to trust the two, but there was no telling how things would play out on a field of battle, where only some of the troops knew how to work with each other.

He did not voice his doubts aloud, however. "Very well. I think our best method is to go with the plan you described. As much as I did not wish to become involved, there is little choice now. The Oniwaban, assisted by Hiko-sama, will take on the attack force. Sano, Kaoru, and Himura will attempt to infiltrate Shishio's fortress and take him down from there. We will make preparations for our defense this week, and in exactly five days from now, when the enemy attacks, we will be ready." Truthfully, he did not feel comfortable sending such a small group into the heart of the fight, but he knew that they were simply too short on manpower to spare anyone else. Besides, it was not the numbers but the strength of the potential opponents that was the problem, and Aoshi was wise enough to know that while he himself may have been stronger than Sano or Kaoru, they were the ones who knew the most about their ally and the enemy. Besides, his leadership was going to be necessary in coordinating the larger outside defense.

_I just hope that I have not overestimated their ability to handle this…_

* * *

Four-and-a-half days later, Kenshin and the others were putting the final preparations on their plans. The former hitokiri himself was out in the practice yard, trying to keep his mind off the task ahead. He felt no fear for himself, but there was no denying that he was afraid of what was to come. He contemplated this as the first few fireflies of the evening began to emerge from their slumbers and filter out into the yard. _Odd, how peaceful it is to just watch them._

They were temporarily disturbed when Yahiko ran past, no doubt working on more laps for his taskmaster of a teacher, and it occurred to Kenshin that he must be afraid for the others. Kenshin had never had friends before, and he wondered vaguely if this was what it felt like. If so, he wasn't entirely sure he was all that fond of the idea, or at least the sick sensation that built in his stomach when he thought of them coming to harm.

Hiko had disappeared shortly after they arrived, ostensibly to peddle his wares. In actuality, he was probably at one of the bars in the red light district. Kenshin would have rolled his eyes at the thought, but the years working for the Shishi had taught him that such places were often full of useful information. As were, apparently, former foes.

He glanced down at the paper in his hand, debating what to do about it, then hastily scrawled a reply on the back. It was a risk, to be sure, but he doubted any harm would come of it. And should the words written on it be true, well, it might make tomorrow's confrontation that much easier for all involved.

His ki sense told him that Kaoru was about to round the corner, and sure enough, a few seconds later he could see her approaching. It was slightly perturbing how easy it had become for him to pick her out of a crowd; even when he wasn't really paying much attention to surrounding ki signatures, he seemed to always know her approximate location.

Deciding not to look a gift horse in the mouth- for right now, she was exactly who he needed to see- he met her halfway. "Excuse me, Kaoru-dono, but I wonder if I might borrow Yahiko for a moment?" Ever since he had arrived back at the Aoiya, he had been making a conscious effort to be more polite, though he still maintained a careful emotional distance from most people. He was coming to discover, however, this was impossible where Kaoru was concerned, and so he'd stopped trying. For whatever reason, she was different from everyone else to him- and that was just a fact. What it meant was something much more complicated, so for the moment he had chosen to treat her with much the same politeness as everyone else.

"Of course. Can I ask why?"

Even had the reason been a secret, he would not have been able to resist telling her. Another strange revelation to file away with the others about the effect of her personality on his ability to retain his former personality. As it was, there was no real secret involved. "I need him to carry a message, if that's okay?" Yahiko had been making himself useful to the Oniwaban by taking on tasks like these, since few knew the streets as well as someone who had grown up on them.

"Oh sure," she replied. "Yahiko! Come over here for a second!"

The boy shot her a glare, but it was impossible to miss his admiration for his teacher or the swiftness with which he followed her instructions. "What do you want, busu?"

Kaoru's eyebrow twitched, though Kenshin guessed the gravity of the day kept her from clocking him as she would have otherwise. "Kenshin wants you to deliver a message." She turned to him, and he continued.

"If you could take this to the Sakura Inn, and give it to the tallest man you see?" at the boy's nod, Kenshin relinquished the paper. "Thank you, Yahiko." He did not smile, though the boy's obvious awe of him brought him close to it. While he was still not exactly comfortable with the idea of others admiring or emulating him in any way, he knew that whatever Yahiko took from him would be easily tempered by Kaoru's much larger influence, and so did not allow himself to worry about it overmuch.

As Yahiko dashed off, Kaoru offered him a small smile. "How are you holding up, Kenshin?"

He studied her for a moment, and was inwardly amused when her cheeks tinged a subtle pink and she turned, ostensibly to watch the selfsame fireflies that had preoccupied him moments before. Something about her lately had been… different, somehow. It seemed she was embarrassed by the strangest things. Before he had known her, he might have mistaken the lowering of her eyes for fear and been repulsed by it. Now, it was almost endearing, in a way, and he found he rather enjoyed having that effect on her.

"I'll be alright," he replied, carefully keeping his earlier thoughts about worry out of his voice. "And you?"

"Me? I'm nervous, of course. But it's the good kind of nervous, I think."

This confused him. "The good kind?" he repeated blankly.

She looked up at him, this time with no uncertainty. "Yeah, you know, like the kind that makes you all hyper-aware, jittery in your own skin. It's uncomfortable, but it makes you react faster. Megumi calls it adrenaline."

He made a gesture of assent. He supposed that made sense. It had to be similar to the rush he felt when they fought. He had just never imagined someone might feel it outside of the battle itself. "Well there's no need to worry too much," he said, though he was slightly unsure of his words. It was difficult to express exactly what he was trying to say, but he felt he had to tell her anyway. "You'll.. I'll…" he hesitated. "We'll be fine."

She nodded easily, as though this was something she took for granted. "I know. We'll be there to look out for each other, and Sano, too. With a team like that, how could we lose?"

Kenshin could think of several ways in which they could lose, but he had a feeling that to list them would be missing the point somehow. Still, he knew he should say something in response to this proclamation, though his mind was a complete blank. How could conversation with her be so easy and so taxing at the same time?

Frustrated, he said the first thing that came into his mind. "I'm not going to kill Shishio."

Her eyes grew wide, and it was her turn to struggle for words, so he plowed onwards. "I decided that you were right. He doesn't really have to die. I'm not an assassin anymore, and I'm working for a group that believes in peace, using a sword that does not kill. So… it makes sense." He couldn't bring himself to tell her the rest; how making her dream possible had somehow become the thing he wanted more than anything else, how it had been the reason he'd even been able to learn the final technique of his style.

He didn't need to, though, because the smile that bloomed on her face following this proclamation could probably have outshone the sun. Then, to his surprise- and most likely her own- she closed the gap between them and wrapped slender arms about his back.

"Thank you, Kenshin," she murmured into his shoulder, and her grip tightened.

He could fee her soft breath on his neck as he gathered her closer almost by reflex, and inhaled the scent of her hair, one he had come to memorize. He allowed himself to drown in her ki, in the spirit that had so fascinated and perplexed him since their meeting almost ten months ago. His mind went hazy as the two of them just stood there, and he forgot everything save that smell, her warmth, and the inexplicable, intense desire that time stop here and progress no more, to leave them like this for as long as they drew breath.

But they both knew that such a thing was not possible, and so when her hold on him loosened, he breathed once more, and reluctantly relinquished her to the outside world once again. She was flushed a bright scarlet, and he made no attempt to hide his amused smirk.

"I… I should sleep," she stammered furiously. "And so should you. We have a great deal to do tomorrow, and-" he silenced her with a finger to her lips, and merely nodded his assent. The two parted ways there, Kaoru still tomato-red, each to their contemplations of tomorrow's mission, their future, and people they should not have cared for but did.

* * *

"…and it is our understanding that they mean to mount a counteroffensive. This information is still relatively new, but we believe a group containing the Battousai knows this location and will be here to confront you tomorrow, my lord."

Makoto Shishio grinned maliciously. _So, the Battousai thinks to confront me directly, does he? Good…_

Aloud, he replied: "Excellent… let us make sure we are prepared for our guests, shall we?' Here, he turned and shot Soujiro a meaningful glance. The boy bowed once and disappeared into the next room.

"It seems this invasion is going to be more entertaining than I thought. Well, then, I say let them come. Then, when my sword is coated in the Manslayer's blood, I will know that there is no one left to stop me…"

* * *

_Kiku's Corner_

_I'm a bit late this week, so I'll keep the notes and responses short. Thanks to Beth for the edit of this chapter. Sorry I had a minor crisis last week; I can't thank you all enough for your encouragement. I think I'll have a little more confidence from now on, and I certainly won't freak out like that again lol. You guys are awesome! Until next week!_

_~Kiku~_

_**Responses:**_

_Thestoriesliveon: Thanks for the review, I think he gets to be angsty too, I was just worried about going overboard. But I think it works out okay._

_Caseyedith: You have no idea how amazing it was to read your review. It really made my day, so thanks a ton!_

_Jasmineblossom625: Haha, thanks, I like to think I can manage the heartwarming every once in a while. Hopefully this chapter had some too._

_Aryy: Thank you!_

_Nadya Lubov: Thanks a lot. Hope you're still reading by the time you read this!_

_Jiyoung: Eh, I can't stand whiney Kaoru either, plus, I'm sort of a feminist, so… yeah._

_Pterion: Thanks for the morale booster. And don't worry; getting to update this and reading the reviews is probably the best part of my Sunday/Monday, which is when most of them filter in…_

_SRAS9: I'm glad you're enjoying it. _

_Aslickain Kiant: Eh… I'm actually kind of ambivalent towards cliffhangers. Are there a lot of them in this story? I just kind of write until it feels like I should stop without really considering it._

_Daichilover: Whew! I was worried that the sleeping bit would be like cheese factor times a million. I'm glad people seemed to think it worked._

_Brit02: Haha, as long as we don't have a silver-eyed Hiko running around during the bakumatsu, I don't think I'm worried about copying. I think the K/K relationship is well-suited to certain themes about acceptance and redemption, and so it wouldn't bother me were they to be prevalent in another story. I'm sure stories before mine have used them too._

_Anon: Thank you for the compliment, mysterious stranger! It really does mean a lot._

_EllaJean: Wow, that's really high praise. I blush._

_Eiryx: Your comments about characterization mean a lot; figuring out how to do it consistently and well was my main goal/challenge in writing this. And I happen to think you make a great reviewer, so there. Thank you, and you're welcome!_

_Kokoronogamu: Nope, he's got both his scars already. One of them was from that random guy when he hesitated in the fight because he was having trouble with his "inner demons" if you will, and the second was from Jin-e, because he made the last-second decision to switch to drawing his sakabatou. It could have worked though._

_Sas420: No worries; it's not like I'm going to demand that you review every chapter. I'm pathetically happy with whatever I get, two reviews or twenty. Of course, I'd prefer the latter, but…_

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Reviews appreciated, but if you don't feel like it, you could always favorite. You know, just so I know you're there… (^.0)


	14. Chapter 14: Promised

Chapter 14: Promised

_Contentment is not the fulfillment of what you want, but the realization of how much you already have._

_-Anonymous_

* * *

Kaoru tapped a foot impatiently while the stoic Kenshin merely waited in silence beside her. She had studiously avoided looking at him for fear of what her addled mind would force her to think, and he hadn't done anything to draw attention to himself. Still, all this waiting was making it difficult not to start a conversation, something she wanted to put off if at all possible.

_Ugh! Where __**is **__he? _They'd told Sano to be here about fifteen minutes ago, and true to form, he was late. The habit hadn't really bothered her all that much until now, though it was important that he be here for this mission, and not only to diffuse some of the tension she was sure was just in her own mind.

After what seemed an eternity, she spotted him coming from the direction of the clinic. _Well, that explains it. _Sano had been spending an awful lot of time down there since they had returned from the forest, and Kaoru supposed she understood. It made sense that he'd want to be around the person he loved before they did something like this, something he might not come back from.

As the three exchanged greetings and began the silent march to Shishio's base, she was at once relieved and more frightened that Kenshin was going into this right beside her. Then she was irritated at herself for comparing her relationship with Kenshin to what Sano and Megumi had. _It's not like that, is it?_ As much as Megumi pretended to hate it, they were always together, and their little displays of affection were poignant and subtle. They held hands when they thought nobody was looking, sat close to each other at mealtimes, and Sano walked her back to the clinic every evening.

_Of course it's not. _In truth, she and Kenshin rarely spoke, and to think that he would ever be anything but polite, distant Kenshin must surely be a mistake. What had happened the night before was a fluke, right? _This is so frustrating! I tell Misao that she just has to spit it out to Aoshi, and I can't be bothered to do the same. I'm such a hypocrite. _She knew why it was this way, of course. Kaoru was petrified that any such declaration would result inevitably in a dismissal, and that she would lose her friendship with Kenshin. She would rather stay silent for the rest of her life than relinquish what had become so precious.

Still, she was right in thinking that there was a chance that one or both of them might not live to see the end of this, and the thought terrified her. She had to do _something_ about her feelings, otherwise she may never get the chance. _But what?_

* * *

The tension that radiated off Kaoru was enough to set Kenshin's teeth on edge. He might have asked her about the cause had he not been feeling just about as tense himself. He had no idea what to expect from Shishio or his underlings, and he had introduced another unknown factor into the equation himself when he bid Yahiko deliver his message the night before.

Sano seemed to be less concerned than the two of them were, though Kenshin knew enough of the man to guess that the carelessness with which he seemed to handle grave matters such as this was hardly more than a farce for the sake of setting other people at ease. It was doing precious little good in this case, or so it seemed.

The three of them came to stand outside the building that the Oniwaban had deemed Shishio's base of operations, and Kenshin could believe it. It was rather large, and… looming. _He probably thinks to intimidate us. As though we are so easily daunted._

A disturbance of his ki sense, and Kenshin turned, to see that the other two had noticed it as well. Out of the shadows of the building stepped Haijime Saito.

Kaoru's first reaction was to narrow her eyes and move her hand so that her sword might be within closer reach, and Sano was quick to notice this, stepping in front of the other two, threat evident in his posture. "Just who do you think you are?" he asked, though it came out as little more than a growl.

"You should leash your dog, Battousai," Saito said to Kenshin, pointedly ignoring the question.

Sano took another step forward. "Hey, didn't your old lady ever teach you that it's rude not to answer a question?"

Saito spared him an appraising glance, then, clearly finding something lacking, turned dismissively back to Kenshin. Sano's hand curled into a fist, but Kaoru placed her palm on his forearm and shook her head silently before she too looked in his direction, a clear question in her gaze.

"Saito has offered to join us, though I do not understand why," Kenshin relayed by way of explanation. "I told him to be here."

At this, both of the others moved their attention to the man standing, quite unperturbed by the looks of things, in front of them. "Aka Soku Zan, Battousai," he offered shortly, as though this explained everything. Kenshin merely shrugged. He cared little for Saito's motives, as long as they were solid enough to guarantee he wouldn't betray them halfway through. He would just have to assume that the old creed of the Shinsengumi was good enough.

Strangely, Kaoru seemed to understand, and she nodded sagely before removing her hand from Sano's bicep, murmuring something inaudible to her friend as she did so. Whatever it was, it seemed to calm Sano somewhat, though he still glared openly at Saito, who continued to pretend as though the fistfighter didn't exist.

"Sano," she said, loud enough for the others to hear, "would you mind using your ki to get a sense of this place? It… puzzles me."

Kenshin focused on his own, and found that she was right. There were multiple strong auras within, but they were confounded somehow, as though in several places at once. Pinpointing any exact locations was going to be difficult, if not impossible. Still, he knew that Sano's ability to do this sort of thing was even greater than his own.

The tall man appeared to concentrate, then shook his head. "Gimme a minute," he muttered, and moved off a ways, doubtless to concentrate. Saito raised an eyebrow, but when this elicited no reaction from Kenshin, he too wandered off, ostensibly to seek out the entrance.

Misinterpreting the pained look that flashed across Kaoru's face at this, he spoke to reassure her. "I do not think Saito intends to betray us. It was he who offered his assistance to me."

She shook her head. "That's not it. I-" she cut herself off, and then regarded him pensively, head tilted to one side. He was about to ask if anything was wrong when she spoke again. "I'm afraid that someone might die." The swordswoman appeared to flinch at her own bluntness, and dropped her eyes to the ground. "I know I should have more faith than that, but… it worries me."

Kenshin understood. The previous night, it had been she that reassured him when his own concern for the others had surfaced. Now, their roles were to be reversed. _She still confounds me. _"I will not deny that this is a possibility…" he began slowly, deliberately, "but I think that your faith in our ability as a team is well-placed. There are few people I would trust my life to, Kaoru-dono, and you are one of them. We will find a way to succeed."

She smiled slowly, but the gleam in her eyes that usually accompanied such an expression was absent, and Kenshin felt his gut twist unpleasantly. The smile faded, and she bit her lip. Before he could say anything else, she reached between the layers of her red and white gi and pulled out a small strip of silk that he was certain he recognized.

"Then promise me," she said firmly, holding out the ribbon. "Take this, and promise that you will give it back, when this is all over." Her knuckles were white where she clutched the thing, and her hand was visibly shaking. He cupped her fist in one hand, using the other to gently pry apart her fingers. She yielded, and the ribbon fell into his hand.

She swallowed audibly, and made to remove her hand. One of his still held her wrist, though, and he did not relinquish his grip. "It- my father gave it to me," she began, hesitating at first, but adopting a false breezy tone he knew well as she continued, "and as such, I'd really like it to come back intact." She exhaled, and all the bravado fell out of her demeanor. "But I'd be willing to lose it, as long as _you _do, okay?"

He had to listen closely to hear the words, but he felt an inexplicable warmth bloom in his chest as he did. Smiling slightly, he used his free hand to tilt her chin up and force her to meet his eyes. "I promise, Kaoru."

This time, her whole countenance smiled, and he released her hand at last, just in time for them to hear Sano approach once more. "Well, looks like there's about seven people in there, and two of 'em are noncombatants."

"Noncombatants?" Kaoru sounded confused. "Why would Shishio keep noncombatants around?"

"Apparently to play tour guide," replied Saito laconically, approaching from closer to the fortress itself. Jerking a thumb at the woman following him, he continued. "Found this one at the front door. Says we're going to need her to get through the place."

Kenshin glanced at his companion. The woman was rather immodestly dressed; a courtesan, he supposed. He noticed with some bemusement that Kaoru was picking at her own garments somewhat self-consciously.

Apparently the woman noticed too, because she looked between the two of them and smiled slyly. "My name is Komagata Yumi," she purred. "Shishio-sama has sent me to bring you to him. If you would follow me?" With that, she led them to the somewhat underwhelming- at least comparatively- entranceway and politely ushered them inside.

The first room they entered was dimly-lit at best, and Kenshin had the feeling that it would likely stay that way. True to suspicion, instead of lighting a lamp, Yumi made her way to the front of the group, bowed languidly, and smiled. "Shishio-sama waits at the back of the building. But I am afraid that he wishes you to prove yourselves against his subordinates before he agrees to meet you." She gestured behind herself. "There are four doors here, and each leads to the domain of a different member of the Juppongatana. Choose well, for a poor decision may be the last one you make."

Saito snorted at the dramatics, and Kenshin could not help but agree inwardly that it bordered on ridiculous. Still, he supposed that separating the group could be an effective strategy. Glancing at the others, he saw that Sano looked a bit uneasy, and was staring at one door in particular. Kaoru's mouth was set in a determined line, and Saito just looked bored.

"Ladies and idiots first," he said snidely, shooting a sidelong glance at Sano.

"Well, Saito, if you're really _that _eager, I guess I won't stop you," the younger man replied bitingly.

Kaoru rolled her eyes and stepped forward. "If we're really going to do this, we might as well get started," she said curtly. Kenshin watched as she followed Sano's gaze, then picked the first door on the left, one he wasn't looking at. The fistfighter himself stepped up to the second door from the right and shrugged.

Kenshin felt for the ki signatures behind the doors. Sano had chosen a formidable opponent, whoever he was, but Kaoru's selection troubled him. He could feel absolutely no hostile ki behind the door at all. He knew Kaoru was not a coward, so either she sensed something he did not, or she was curious enough to take a risk. He sincerely hoped that her curiosity would not impede her. Of the two remaining doors, one was markedly stronger than the other. Kenshin was about to head for that one, the door between Sano and Kaoru, when Saito cut him off.

"If you're going to be dealing with Shishio, you'd better take that one," the former Shinsengumi said simply. "Don't make any stupid mistakes."

There was a moment of silence when they all lined up in front of the doorways, and Kenshin thought oddly about how of all the battles he had fought and won, none had mattered nearly as much as this one. _I just hope I'm strong enough to do this when it really matters, _he thought sardonically.

Kaoru broke his reverie. "Good luck, everyone. See you on the other side." Her tone was steady, if soft. There was a grunt from Saito and something said in assent from Sano, but Kenshin paid no heed. He was too busy memorizing the sound of her voice, just in case this should be the last time he heard it.

Shaking the thought from his mind, he grasped the side of the sliding door as the others did and stepped through- into complete darkness.

* * *

Sano was rather unfond of being blind in the dark, but it seemed that Yumi had abandoned them to their fates, and so all his loud complaining to this effect went unheard. His passageway, however, was pretty direct, and it was a simple matter to follow the energy of his opponent. Before long, he had reached the end of the long hallway he had initially entered, and stepped into a large room, wherein a few candles burned.

In the center, seated and hunched in a meditative posture, was the man he had met in the forests outside of Kyoto.

"Anji," he stated by way of greeting, "Long time, no see."

* * *

Saito saw little need to waste time. He could sense the man's ki in the next room, though why the darkness and dramatics were necessary was beyond him. He could faintly hear the moron complaining somewhere to his right, but ignored it lest it confound his sense of direction.

The labyrinthine passages led him eventually to something of a more open space, though the easier passage of the air was the only way he could tell this, for the large room too was cloaked in darkness.

Deciding to dispense with the foolish aura of mystery, he lit one of the matches his wife did not know he carried and held it out before him.

"Ah, welcome," greeted a voice from about three meters to his left. Swinging the match slowly so as not to snuff it out, he was met with the face of a man shorter than himself, with the air of a veteran of combat. Curiously, his eyes were shut.

"Forgive me, I have not introduced myself. Uonua Usui, at your service. As you may have guessed, I have little use for light, and I imagine you might want to put that match out, else fighting me would be much harder, no?"

Saito gave a noncommittal grunt. If the man insisted on dying on his own terms, it made no difference to the Wolf of Mibu. He snuffed the match beneath his foot, not in enough time to see the grin that spread its way across his opponent's face.

"Excellent. You shall be the next to die on the way to Shishio himself."

* * *

Kenshin found his way without much difficulty at all. As a matter of fact, he was having more issues trying to understand how this man had become one of the Juppongatana than anything else.

"Oi, Himura-han? Are you even listenin' to me? I was sayin' how that's a funny-lookin' sword you got right there. Now most people, they look at that kind of sheath and they just think it's another ordinary katana, but I'll wager all my blades here that it ain't. What say we have a go and I'll see if I fancy takin' it from yer corpse, eh?"

Kenshin shrugged; there was little else to be done. This man was standing between him and Shishio himself. The rather curious-looking swordsman, who had called himself something Cho and proceeded to go on about how he killed samurai and took their swords, regarded him with one eye shut, as though waiting for a more committal answer. When none was forthcoming, he raised his own shoulders and drew one of the swords from his back.

"Not much of a talker, are ya? Well, I guess that's a good thing for me, seein' as how I get to see that funny sword'a yers sooner."

* * *

For some reason, the woman calling herself Yumi had decided to follow Kaoru. The swordswoman herself couldn't fathom why, so she endured the courtesan's weighty gaze without comment as she traversed the building in search of another door.

The scrutiny wasn't as easy to ignore as she had hoped, though. After some minutes of what could only be described as deafening silence, Kaoru snapped. "Is there something you would like to tell me?" she asked, trying not to let her irritation get to the better of her.

Yumi laughed, and Kaoru could have screamed. Why was it that everything some women did just oozed seductiveness and grace for no reason while people like her had to struggle just to walk properly in a kimono? _You have got to be kidding. There's no way I'm jealous of her. No way._

"I was simply wondering what you're doing here, little girl. This isn't a place for someone like you." Her eyes narrowed, and she smirked.

Kaoru was smart enough to know it was bait, and hurt enough to take it anyway. "What do you claim to know of me? I belong here just as surely as any of the rest."

Yumi made a careless gesture with one hand. "You think you belong here? What are you if not some helpless waif the Battousai took pity on and decided to let live? You've clearly taken a shine to the mysterious assassin and decided to follow him here. It's an old story, girl, one that never ends as well in real life as it does in the fables."

This time it was Kaoru's turn to laugh, though there was no mirth in it. "I think you reach far beyond what you understand," she said dismissively. "It is true, he has spared me more than once. But that does not make me helpless." There was a pause. "And it is not Battousai the Manslayer that I love. It is Himura Kenshin."

Yumi was silent for a time, and Kaoru was inclined to let it be. She soon reached a juncture in the road and stopped, trying to sense the direction from which her opponent was emitting ki. Unfortunately, whoever it was seemed to emit very little at all.

"So then why are you here?" The question caused Kaoru to start, intensely focused as she had been, and it took her a moment to find her words.

"Isn't it obvious? I fight to defend Kyoto from Shishio's invasion. But then, I suppose you really don't see it that way, do you?" The older woman looked taken aback by the question, but at length she responded.

"It's true that I don't. But… I do know what it's like to love a samurai, and I know that's part of your reason as well." Yumi's smile took on a decidedly more tender cast than her earlier smirk, and Kaoru had a feeling she was seeing a side of the other woman that Shihsio himself knew little of.

Kaoru pondered a moment, trying to decide if she should really be saying this much, then lifted her shoulders. "I suppose it is. You and I are perhaps not so very different at all. Is that, perhaps, why you accused me of being a helpless hanger-on?" The swordswoman was beginning to get the distinct impression that this was how the other woman viewed herself.

"Of course not," Yumi scoffed. "I am no fighter, but I have… other uses."

Kaoru considered the possibility that this was a mere innuendo and discarded it. Her time among the Oniwaban had taught her that someone as beautiful and obviously well-educated as Yumi could learn many things most men could not. Her own time as a false geisha had assured her of it.

"You should go left," was all that Yumi said for the rest of the way.

* * *

Yahiko gripped his Shinai all the tighter as he felt the strength slowly sap away from his hands after hours of exertion. The preemptive squad of soldiers had been bad enough, but then members of the Juppongatana had shown up.

Currently, it was himself, Misao, and a few other scattered members of the Oniwaban against the weird one called Kamatari, the creepy man who reminded Yahiko of a bat and could apparently fly, and about twenty ordinary samurai. Aoshi was off commanding the bulk of the ninja against the rest, except for the massive giant, who Hiko had immediately set off after once his impossibly large shape had been glimpsed on the horizon.

Misao was clearly engaging Kamatari one-on-one, shrieking something about men or women or kimonos or something, though Yahiko knew that unless someone helped her soon, she might be in for it. Unfortunately, he himself was currently unable to remedy this because the flying man had taken to attacking him.

To say it wasn't going well would be an understatement. He'd tried attacking when the emaciated man swooped low, only to find that his opponent was just beyond his reach each time. This didn't stop the projectiles that came flying at him, though, and he was covered in a number of small wounds. Add this to the fact that he'd been fighting for over four hours straight, and he was beginning to understand the point of all the laps Kaoru made him do.

He wondered briefly if she was okay, but was unable to dwell on it for too long since he had to dodge again. If something didn't change, and fast, they were going to lose Kyoto.

* * *

Megumi had initially been confused when Katsu had approached her about making bombs, but now she was grateful he had. She was pretty sure the idea had actually come from Sanosuke; the oaf had been awfully curious about the drugs used to put people under or dull pain during surgery. It had been a rather simple matter to concentrate some of these substances once his friend had asked, and Katsu had somehow turned them into a gas.

She threw another of her improvised devices at the soldiers outside her door, smirking as she heard unconscious bodies hitting the ground. Megumi trusted her abilities as a doctor, even if she didn't always trust herself, and there was no way any of those guys would be waking up for quite some time. _Nobody interferes with my patients… or my friends._

Speaking of friends, her patients all seemed to be stable for the moment, and few if any soldiers seemed to be actually reaching her. If she was quick about it, she might have time to check in on the Aoiya, and maybe provide some assistance.

Without another thought, she grabbed bunch of bandages, a needle and thread, some antiseptic, and as many of her patented sleep bombs as she could carry. _I swear… running out into the middle of the fray like this… Sano really is a bad influence. _She couldn't help but smile when she thought of him, though she'd die before she told him so.

The inn was soon in sight, and she spotted a few men trying to flank the Okashira's little weasel. "Misao! Cover your nose and mouth!" she yelled, lobbing a device rather ungracefully.

Luckily for the kunoichi, the area of impact was pretty small, and the men went down even as the girl was forced to turn her attention back to the opponent she had been engaged with prior to the lady doctor's arrival.

Moving on, Megumi spotted Yahiko a few yards away, apparently just looking at the sky. If she hadn't known he was Kaoru's student, she would have berated him for obviously no paying attention. As it was, she ran past him, throwing a few more bundles of mass lethargy as she went, hoping more than anything that she wasn't hitting too many Oniwaban. Most ninja carried gas masks with them, right?

_Father… I wonder if you'd be proud of me now?_

* * *

_Kiku's Corner~_

_So yes, Megumi, Sano, and Katsu just invented knockout gas. Hopefully your willing suspension of disbelief will allow you to find this funny rather than flaming me for it…_

_In other news, thanks to Beth for the edit._

_Looks like we have about two more chapters (maybe three) until this story is done. Fear not, though, I already have a general idea for another one I might write, if people are interested. How does an RK story based on the Robin Hood legend sound? It'd be loosely-based, of course, but hey, I think it has potential. It would also be the first truly AU world I've written, so be sure to tell me if you'd read it!_

_Until next week,_

_~Kiku~_

_**Review Responses:**_

_Jiyoung: The most interesting? Really? Wow, thanks a lot. I appreciate your effort too; sometimes reviewing is hard. Or at least for me; I never know what to say!_

_Kokoronogamu: Hey, that's okay, I'm not offended or anything. I think getting a review for another story might be entertaining, if a little strange. "What are you doing, crazy? InuYasha doesn't carry a sakabatou! Jeez, the only think you got right was the eye color!" As for Shishio: he's not burned, but Kenshin hasn't been wandering aimlessly for ten years either. Plus he won't have to fight Aoshi beforehand… so I think it's a bit more balanced, you know?_

_Pterion: No worries, crisis long averted. Sometimes I just suck at believing in myself, but you guys have definitely helped with that. Anywho, I'm glad you liked some of the fluffier moments; I was actually a little nervous about that bit coming across as OOC. And then I was like: "well, it would be for the Battousai, and maybe a little for the Rurouni, too, but Kenshin's not really either of those at this point, so it could work."_

_SRAS9: Well you should be able to guess who Kaoru's going after by now, right? And yay, my fluff is well-balanced! Thanks for the review._

_Aslickain Kiant: To be compared to a book is flattering, so thank you. And don't worry, you make perfect sense! _

_Aryy: Thanks, I could always use a little more luck!_

_Brit02: Fear not, battle scenes are coming in spades! I'm actually trying to decide which ones I'm going to do, and which one's I'll just mention. I think I might gloss over the ones that actually appear in the original material, and give emphasis to Kaoru, Misao, and Yahiko for this one, but I kind of want to give Saito a fight scene too. And of course, there will be multiple parts to the battle with Shishio… so may chaotic ideas swimming around in my brain… ow._

_AnotherAnonymousViewer: Why thank you! And no, no Tomoe, so sorry if you were hoping for the Jinchuu Arc to show up somewhere here. I'll be ending it after this arc, since really you can't go too much farther if you stick to an AU where Kaoru knew Kenshin as Battousai._

_Daichilover: I think I just caused a squee moment, which makes my day. (Maybe everyone knows what squee is, but if not, tvtropes dot com, and do a search. Careful though, that website can suck hours off your life). Anyway, again with the novel comparisons! You guys are so nice!_

_Caseyedith: I think your reviews are always great. And ooh, I'm mysterious! Lol. Figuring out how people would interact that don't in the manga or anime is one of my favorite parts of writing this. Sano and Hiko, Kaoru and Aoshi, arguably even Kaoru and Sano don't have that much screen time together! Yahiko and Misao should also make an appearance in the next chapter; I think they'll just irritate the crap out of each other, but make a good team eventually, ne?_

_NurseKaoru: Pleased to hear from someone new, and thank you very much. You wouldn't be so shocked at the frequency of updates if you knew how little of a life I have lol… well, I guess that's only true now that it's summer. Still, there is a distinct lack of stuff that other writers have to deal with: family drama, high school, etc. Which was way more than you wanted to know, but there you have it. I guess the fact that I can't stop myself from typing half the time helps too, right?_

_Reignashii: Thanks! I hope you continue to enjoy it. It only recently occurred to me that by fanfiction standards, this is a really old series, so I was always surprised when someone said I was bringing back a nostalgia factor or something, but I guess it's pretty true…_

_Satora-wolf: So very true indeed. I think they're both oblivious in different ways. Kaoru at least kind of has an excuse. When you spend the years between "boys have cooties" and "you should be thinking about marriage" (by Meiji Japanese standards anyway) with someone like Hiko, you're going to be pretty clueless. Kind of applies to Kenshin, too, since he was basically just killing things that whole time…_

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* * *

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So, I made 150 reviews last chapter. With two chapters left to go, do you think I can make 200? Reviews desired, but never required!


	15. Chapter 15: Strengthened

Chapter 15: Strengthened

_The strongest is never strong enough to be always the master, unless he transforms strength into right, and obedience into duty._

_-Jean-Jacques Rousseau_

_

* * *

_

Sano observed his bleeding hand with some trepidation. If he wasn't mistaken- and he'd spent enough time around a certain doctor to be fairly sure he wasn't mistaken- he'd shattered most of the bones in it. He watched disinterestedly as the crimson stuff ran in tiny rivulets across his palm and dripped to the floor before him.

_Maybe the missy's right… I need to start thinking things through a little more. _It wasn't as though the pain was unbearable- he'd suffered far worse before- but his left hand was now entirely useless. He couldn't even make it into another fist. Which would be all well and good if Anji was his only opponent, but there was no way that was a certainty here.

_Guess I'll have to be more careful with the other one, then. _He shifted his gaze from his hand to his opponent. That blow really should have done the trick, and indeed, Anji did not look well. Unfortunately, however, it had not been the coup de grace that Sano was counting on, and now he had one fist less than his opponent.

"Come now, have I taught you nothing more than that?" The monk's voice was much the same monotone as it always was, but Sano knew a challenge when he heard one.

Cocking his head to one side, he considered the question. "Maybe. Maybe not. You'll know when I hit you next." He grinned, and fell back into his stance, holding his broken appendage a little ways behind him, out of the way. If there was any way he was going to be of use against Shishio or anyone else, he had to end the match before overuse of the Futae no Kiwami destroyed his right hand too. And that meant the next pass would be all-out.

As if sensing his intent, Anji said nothing further, but sank into his own posture as well. Sano wasn't one for overanalyzing a fight, but he knew this wasn't going to be easy. _There's no way… unless… heh, go figure. Sorry, missy._

With a cry, Sano leapt at his one-time teacher, swinging his arm with all the force he could manage. He felt it connect squarely with Anji's stomach even as he stepped into a corresponding blow.

The monk hit the ground first, though Sano himself was on his knees not long afterward, clutching at his gut, forcing painful breaths into and out of his lungs. _Just about what I figured… _People told him he was too reckless, but he knew no other way to be. In this case, it was being stupid enough to open himself up to a blow and practiced enough to take it that had given him the edge on Anji, who hadn't been expecting it. Not that he hadn't taken full advantage of the opening in Sano's defense, merely that he had no way to stop the other man from doing what he had planned to. Reckless, yes, but also blessedly unpredictable.

_Whew… I'm gonna need a couple minutes here… _With that, Sano sank to the floor, allowing unconsciousness to take over, if just for a little while.

* * *

Saito adjusted his grip on his sword only slightly. Fighting in the dark like this wasn't particularly difficult, but it would still be foolish to deny that it did not give his opponent an advantage anyway.

The next pass between them was much the same as the last; neither landed a hit, though Saito was working much harder than the other man to ensure this. He observed with customary disinterest that Usui was holding back somewhat, as though toying with him. Such would have caused a younger Haijime Saito to lash out foolishly in irritation, but years at war had tempered him, made him hard and strong, much like the steel of his katana.

That, and the fact that Usui was a fool to think himself the only one holding back. What his opponent did not grasp was that Saito was actually searching for a way to win without using his best technique. It was something of a point of pride for the former Shinsengumi that he had developed it on his own, specifically for use against Battousai the Manslayer.

The problem was, that man no longer seemed to exist. And so Saito was faced with a choice: inaugurate this move with the blood of someone far less worthy, or win the tedious way and take the chance that Himura Kenshin would be worth saving it for.

"Come now, won't you at least do me the honor of dying? This grows tiresome…" Usui trailed off, and Saito heard the telltale heft that meant the other fighter was readying his sword and makeshift shield.

Behind the cover of darkness, the tall man smirked. _I think I've decided, _he thought sardonically. This fool thought to carve a path to his own master through an officer of the law. _A dog that pretends at being a wolf. _It seemed that this man's ultimate ambition was to take down Shishio himself, if any of the inane things he'd been spouting over the course of their altercation were to be taken seriously. What he clearly did not realize was that Shishio likely counted on this to keep him around and servile. Usui thought to submit until he was stronger than his master; Saito could tell that it was precisely because of this that he never would be.

"I'm not the one that will die here. If it is honor you seek, however, I will do you one better. You shall be slain by the technique I was saving for the Battousai." Saito stilled his breath so as to be harder for the blind man to hear. There was nothing he could do about his heartbeat, of course, he'd just have to be fast enough to allow the man no time to react once he was close enough for it to be audible.

"Oh?" Usui's tone was amused, bordering on condescending, but Saito couldn't have cared less. A dog could bark all it wanted as far as he was concerned, at least until the wolf ripped out its throat.

Dispensing with the needless chatter, Saito moved forward, angling his sword so it made the least disturbance possible in the air around it. Whatever Usui had been about to say next was cut off as the sharpened edge met flesh, and torso was separated from legs. As the wet _thud _of parts hitting the floor was heard, the Wolf of Mibu flicked his blade and sheathed it. Reaching into his coat pocket, he once again struck a match, this time holding it to the end of a cigarette. Shaking the flame out, he stepped over the halves of what had once been Usui and through the next door, briefly considering the chances that his wife would be able to smell the smoke on him later. He nearly laughed as he decided she'd likely be more preoccupied with that than the bloodstains on his uniform.

* * *

Truth be told, Soujiro was somewhat disappointed when he discovered that the person headed in his direction was not the one called Battousai. Truly, he had hoped to fight the man and kill him before Shishio-sama would have to be bothered, but it seemed that this task belonged instead to someone else.

Of course, the encroaching ki signature was nothing to sneeze at, either. Carefully-contained in the way most fighters were trained to have it, there was nonetheless something about it that struck him as odd. He couldn't quite put his finger on it, but supposed in the end such details were of trivial importance. Still, it would be mistaken to say that he was not at least a little bit curious.

Curiosity quickly transitioned to mild surprise when the door he watched slid open to reveal Yumi and another, younger woman. He did not let a trace of this slip past his calm exterior, however, though he watched with some interest as the same surprise flitted openly across the girl's face. This did not puzzle him in the slightest; he knew it was confusing and unnerving to fight someone like him, a young teenager with no readable ki, and he often turned this to his advantage.

Rather than acknowledge the woman's presence, however, he turned to Yumi. "Are you not supposed to be watching the Battosai's battle, Yumi-san?" he asked, smiling as ever.

Yumi eyed him warily before shooting a look at the other woman. _Odd. I wonder why she would do that? _"He's got Cho; he won't need whatever his technique is…" she trailed off, and Soujiro caught a trace of something in her voice that he might have identified as guilt, had he any experience with the feeling himself. As it was, he merely nodded without changing his expression in a way he knew unnerved her, and turned at last to his would-be opponent.

"Might I ask you name, miss?" he inquired politely.

She regarded him steadily for a moment, as though weighing the possibility that this was some kind of trick. Soujiro sighed inwardly. Most people responded to his request with arrogance of one kind or another; they'd either refuse to say or boast about something, mostly because they were emboldened by his age, or lack thereof.

"Of course," she said after a moment. "My name is Kamiya Kaoru." The woman bowed, easy as you please, as though they were acquaintances in a marketplace.

_Hmm… most unexpected. _"Seta Soujiro," he said by way of reply. All the while, he watched her for other pieces of information. She was, he decided, definitely a samurai, and one of no poor tutelage. She carried herself more like a man than a female, though there was also something decidedly feminine about her. Perhaps it was the smell?

All this he noted with the cold, detached mind of a tactician, and was somewhat bemused to find that though he was able to observe much- she was far from closed-off- he _learned_ very little at all.

"Seta-san?" His eyes settled on her face, and he smiled again, realizing that for whatever reason, he had dropped the expression at some earlier point.

"Ah, yes Kamiya-san, forgive me. How my mind does wander sometimes. You see, I'm afraid we have something of a conundrum here. You wish to pass me to see Shishio-sama…"

"And it is your job to ensure that I cannot," she finished. Why, he could not fathom, but her tone held traces of melancholy when she said this.

He simply nodded, and she sighed. "Well, I suppose there's nothing else for it then." She bowed again, this time the formal one used by swordsmen at the beginning of sparring matches.

It had been such a long time since anyone had done such a thing that for a moment, he forgot what the correct response was. Belatedly, he returned the gesture, and straightened. She smiled at him, though he knew on instinct that it was not the same sort of smile he was giving her.

Before he could think about it too much, however, he pushed the considerations aside, instead falling back into one of his more well-used Battojustu stances. Her own posture was slightly different, and he noticed her eyes flick quickly about, taking in his own position as well as Yumi's, and the overall dimensions of the room. Interestingly enough, she adjusted slightly upon finishing whatever analysis she had been conducting, and he wondered briefly if this was an indication of something larger.

Without knowing what kind of style she used, he was reluctant to attack first. She seemed to have just as much patience as he, however, and it was several minutes before either one of them moved. Rather than drag it out any longer, Soujiro decided that it was unlikely that she was stronger than himself, and so sprang forward. _Three steps below shuku should be more than enough._ That in itself was faster than most people could see, and he knew even Yumi, who had spent much of her life amongst some of the strongest samurai around, wouldn't be able to follow it.

Rather than the soft sensation of flesh, however, his arms were jarred as steel met steel. There was a largely even match in strength, and so they rapidly disengaged, knowing that a struggle of locked blades would get neither of them anywhere.

He couldn't resist asking. "How did you know I was going to do that?" Nobody ever saw his strikes coming; his emotions were masked so perfectly that he knew he gave off no aggressive ki, no indication of when or how he would attack.

She smiled again, and shrugged. "Instinct, I suppose."

_Instinct… _perhaps this woman was stronger than he had initially estimated. Still, he wondered just how far this girl's instinct would take her. _Perhaps a test is in order…_

* * *

Yumi didn't quite understand how they could be talking so casually in the middle of a battle one of them would not walk away from. Well, at least if Kaoru lost, she wouldn't be walking away. She was surprised Soujiro hadn't made some comment yet about the sword his opponent carried; such a thing as that was likely to offend his philosophy in addition to being- in her opinion, anyway- downright impractical. Even she carried a properly-bladed knife, and she'd only ever used it thrice.

But no, the two of them were actually participating in a calm, civil discussion when they weren't trying to stab or bludgeon each other. It would almost have been funny if it weren't so dire.

They made a few more passes, and Yumi was fairly sure that Soujiro had stepped up the speed again, though she couldn't tell for certain. While Kaoru did seem pressured by it, she was not giving an inch, and each was meeting the other's blows impossibly fast. The metallic collisions filled the room as the two leapt back and forth, utilizing the entire room, save for the corner she was standing in.

It wasn't until Kaoru landed her first hit on Soujiro that they spoke again. The boy's eyes darted to the spot, and then back up to his opponent. "Why didn't you cut me?" he asked tonelessly, and Yumi speculated that he'd allowed the hit just to see if she would.

"Because I have no wish to kill you," the blue-eyed woman replied simply.

Soujiro blinked slowly. "I don't understand."

Yumi thought she saw Kaoru roll her eyes, but surely that must have been her imagination, right? "Of course not. It seems as though nobody ever does." Kaoru paused, as if considering whether or not to continue. Soujiro just stared at her, though, and she eventually relented. "I don't want to kill you or anybody else. I have no right to take a life for my own benefit, and my sword exists only to protect others."

"But that doesn't make any sense," Soujiro replied. "The strong live, and the weak die. There's no changing that; it's a simple fact." Yumi couldn't help but silently agree.

"Is it?" Kaoru responded. "I hardly think that's true all the time, and even if it were, that doesn't make it right." Soujiro's eyes narrowed slightly, and their observer was quick to pick up on it. _I wonder…_

"Enough," he said, still displaying no outward feeling in his voice. "This test has gone on long enough." _So he __**was**__ testing her… I thought so. How odd. It is unlike Soujiro to do something like that._

"I'm glad," Kaoru quipped. "Now you can fight me for real." An odd glint appeared in her eyes, and Yumi watched with interest as her once-blue irises tuned silvery-grey. She adjusted her grip on her not-quite-katana and brought it horizontal before her.

This time, Yumi could not even keep track of the individual collisions of their blades, as the room seemed to fill with the sound of one continual clash. The only thing that gave her any indication of what was happening was the occasional spatter of blood that appeared mysteriously on random areas of the floor or walls. She knew it could not be Soujiro bleeding, but she had no way of knowing if there were multiple wounds involved or just the same one.

For some reason, she could not shake the feeling of dread that settled in her stomach at the thought that it might be several wounds. It startled her, that she should feel this way. Kaoru was no ally of hers; indeed, it was Soujiro's job to kill her. Why, then, did the prospect seem so unpalatable? Was it merely the girl's naïveté? Yumi was sure she had never been that idealistic, so there was no danger that Kaoru reminded her of herself, and yet… _we both love manslayers. _

But hadn't Kaoru said just the opposite? That she loved not the manslayer, but the man himself? _Do I love Shishio-sama, or his power? _Power was, she decided, very attractive to her indeed. She had grown up without any, and fulfilled her ambitions the only way she knew how: by making herself alluring and useful to powerful men. But the days of working for multiple clients had ended when she met Shishio-sama. Did that mean anything at all? _The man I love is… Shishio Makoto. _

And just like that, she understood. Shishio-sama was more than his power, more than his deadliness. Though these things were an inextricable part of him, just as Himura would always carry the deeds of the Battousai, they were not his identity, not his whole self. It was all of what he was that made her loyal to Shishio-sama, and it had taken a naïve young woman to show her that. _We are not so different as I had thought. _

She would wait out the fight. If Kaoru lost, perhaps she would repay that unintended kindness in her own way by taking the younger woman's body back to her friends, should any survive the day. If the swordswoman won, well… that was perhaps best not dwelt upon.

* * *

Yahiko ground his teeth together in frustration. He had earned himself dozens more small wounds with nothing to show for it. The weird bat-guy was still swooping in at random intervals, only about half of the twenty normal samurai were down for any length of time, and Misao was still getting nowhere with the one calling himself Kamatari.

As he was contemplating the wisdom of simply chucking his shinai at the buzzard overhead, there was a small _pop _followed by a hissing noise, and he turned just in time to see the remainder of Shsihio's samurai hit the ground. The two Oniwaban who'd been holding them off shouted something about reinforcing Aoshi and left, but Yahiko was too busy searching for the source of the… explosive thing to notice or care.

Before he could move, though, Megumi had appeared at his side, about ready to chuck something at another group of soldiers not too far off. Putting two and two together, Yahiko caught her by the wrist. "Hang on a sec there. How many more of those do you have?" he asked quickly.

Megumi glanced at the object in her hand, and then at Yahiko. "Just the one," she replied evenly. "Why?"

Yahiko grinned, a slightly off-kilter smile that would have made Sano proud. "How about you let me have it?"

* * *

To say that Misao was thoroughly disturbed would be an understatement. This was _not _the way she had planned on first seeing the naked bottom half of a man, but oh no, she'd just _had _to tell Kamatari that she didn't believe he was male.

_Gah, focus Misao! You can freak out later, __**after**__ you beat her- __**him**__ into next Tuesday! _That was much easier said than done, of course. For all the weirdness, Kamatari was as formidable an opponent as she has ever faced, and she wasn't even sure she'd still be alive if he wasn't clearly taking far too much delight in messing with her head. Every single projectile she'd sent his way had been deftly blocked with the chain of that odd scythe-like weapon he carried, and she couldn't seem to get in close enough to fight him any other way.

She backed up a few steps, casting about for some way to approach this differently. To her surprise, she bumped into something solid far sooner than she'd expected. "Eep!" she yelped, and turned her head slightly, one eye still on Kamatari, who was watching her with some amusement, to see Yahiko standing back to back with her. "Yahiko! Just what do you think you're doing? You scared me!"

Unless she was mistaken, he rolled his eyes. "Look, weasel, would you stop freaking out and listen to me for a second?"

"Don't call me weasel!" Misao clapped a hand over her mouth, belatedly realizing that Yahiko himself had been whispering. "Little Yahiko," she added in a lower voice.

"Then don't call me little," he rejoined, then sighed. "Look, there's no time for this. I know how we can beat the flying guy, but I'll need your help. Next time he swoops in, I want you to throw me."

"Oh, yeah, sure, let me just turn my back on _the crazy man with a scythe _and do that then," she whispered furiously.

"Oh, don't worry, my dear, I wouldn't dream of attacking you while your back is turned. That wouldn't be very sportsmanlike of me, now would it? You two just take your time dealing with our flying friend, and I'll fight you both afterwards, how's that sound, hmm?" Kamatari's eyes twinkled with mirth, but Misao was just further disturbed by the way he addressed her.

She looked at Yahiko and both blinked. "Well, I guess we just do that then," Yahiko shrugged.

"WHAT? Are you crazy? You're just going to… _believe him?_" Misao knew she was probably being a little too hysterical, but chalked it up to fighting for her life since breakfast.

"If we don't do something, we're gonna die anyway. It's a chance we'll have to take." The young student's mouth was set into a firm line, and he stared forward with a resolution so like Kaoru that she might have made fun of him for it were the situation less serious.

The kunoichi sighed. She didn't like it, but the brat was probably right. If there was even a chance that Kamatari would keep his word, well, it was better than waiting for him to get bored and dispense with her entirely. "Fine. But if this doesn't work, I will personally haunt you in Hell, Yahiko."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just hurry it up; he'll be back soon."

Misao pushed the errant sweaty tendrils of hair that clung to her face back, too busy to even care that she felt and probably looked gross, then knelt and laced her fingers together, making a step for Yahiko, who backed up several more paces and waited. Just as she was beginning to think someone else must have shot the flying man down with an arrow, he reappeared from the smoke cast off of the numerous burning buildings, including the Aoiya.

"Now!" Yahiko yelled, and ran forward, shinai in one hand and something else in the other. He sprang forward, and as soon as his foot hit her hand, Misao stood as fast as she could, giving him extra height and momentum for the liftoff. Halfway through his arc, however, she saw that it wasn't going to be enough to reach his opponent.

What happened next was a complete surprise. Instead of trying to reach the emaciated fighter with his shinai as Misao had assumed, Yahiko threw the object he held in his other hand at full force, catching him in the chest. The whatever-it-was made a small noise, and released some noxious-looking gas. Yahiko hit the ground hard, but on his feet, seconds before his flying opponent. Apparently, the man had not inhaled enough gas to knock him out, but he was grounded. Before he could try taking to the skies again, Misao launched a couple kunai, deftly pinning him to the nearest wall.

"Yahiko!" she yelled, but Kaoru's pupil was well ahead of her, and the resounding crack of wood was the last thing the flying man would hear for a long time.

* * *

Soujiro observed that his opponent was bleeding without much reaction. There was nothing unusual about his foes losing blood, after all. No, the most abnormal thing about this situation- the girl's strange way of thinking aside- was that all the cuts were much shallower than he'd intended them to be, which meant that she'd been able to dodge them, at least partially. What was more, some of them had only scored the outer layer of her gi, and never made it to her skin at all.

After listening to her talk, he had firmly placed her in the 'weak' category of people in the world, because of course anyone that didn't see that the weak were supposed to die was weak themself. Shishio-sama had taught him as much. Yet, he had been moving at full shuku speed for the last couple of minutes, and he had not yet managed to do any irreparable harm. She was still blocking or dodging more blows than not, and he could feel a few sore spots where her own weapon had made contact with him.

How was it that after all this, the only thing separating them was that he was harder to read? For surely that was enough to account for the discrepancy in wounds. He had little difficulty telling when she was going to attack, but for some reason, he could never seem to predict _where_. He knew that she didn't know even this much about his own strategy, and yet she was still alive. Surely, she was not weak.

So, by two perfectly sound lines of reasoning, she was both weak and not weak. How was that possible? He glanced over at her again, and tried once more to observe, to find the answer he sought to this anomaly. She was clutching the wound on her shoulder, by far the worst one he'd inflicted. Blood was running from a shallow cut near her hairline, but she had barely seemed to notice it.

What gave him pause, though, were her eyes. They were the same silver they'd been since he began taking her seriously, but moisture leaked from the corners and ran in glistening streaks down her face. _She… cries? _ Surely, this too made her weak; the rush of the fight would have dulled any pain she had received to what he considered to be manageable levels. But no, her focus was not on her wounds. She was looking squarely at him. _Then she cries… for me? _The thought made no sense at all, yet he could not shake the feeling that it was true.

For some reason, the sight of her tears made him angry. _Why? Why would you do such a thing? You make no sense! You are weak but not weak, and you think things that I do not understand! _Soujiro rushed her again, pushing shuku to its limits, lashing out so swiftly with his sword that he could have almost sworn he sliced the air itself.

Only to be met with the unyielding steel of the other sword, again, and again. Each time he lashed out, she met him head-on, and each time he went faster, she matched him. The tatami mats on the floor shredded under the sheer force of his movement, but still Kaoru stood, immovable as a mountain and adaptable as water, until he could attack no more.

Exhausted, he stepped back, knowing that she would not press her advantage. Oddly, his eyes felt hot, and it was only when he pressed his hand to his face that he realized Kaoru was no longer the only one crying.

"I… I have become weak," he said, and he hated the way his once-impassive voice cracked on the last word.

Kaoru smiled gently and shook her head. "No, Soujiro-kun," she countered. "You have become strong."

He met her eyes then, somewhere between blue and silver, and read the truth in them. He felt light in that moment, as though some unknown, oppressive weight were gone, removed from his person.

And for the first time in longer than he could remember, Seta Soujiro truly smiled.

* * *

Kenshin sighed as he stepped over the prone form of Cho. The fight had been about as unchallenging as he had initially expected, save the unpredictability of that flexible sword of his. Still, it was nothing worse than he'd dealt with before, and he was uninjured.

Leaving his opponent to come to consciousness in his own time, he pushed open the door the man had been guarding. Temporarily blinded by the sensation of broad daylight, it took him a moment to realize that he had stepped outside onto a large, stone arena of sorts, built into the mountain itself.

Two men stood before him, one of them clearly not a threat, to whom Kenshin paid little heed. For there, standing before him, was the one who could only be Shishio Makoto.

_

* * *

Kiku's Corner:_

_Hello again, lovelies! Hopefully I don't sound too creepy saying that… Anyway, that was chapter 15. Not too much to say this time, we're getting close to the end. One or two more chapters (if it's only one, it will be quite long). _

_At any rate, I'll get to the responses now._

_Cheers,_

_~Kiku~_

_**Review Resopnses:**_

_Reignashii: I know what you mean; I call it "fanfic déjà-vu." Happens to me all the time. Hopefully this story doesn't remind you too much of anything else, though I discovered recently that the whole "Kaoru winds up in the revolution" thing is a plot bunny older than dirt. Sad pants. _

_Sirenmergirl: Why thank you!_

_Pterion: I feel so happy every time you review lol. Hopefully the Sou/Kao battle turned out okay; and I'm glad to hear that so many people would read a Robin Hood RK story._

_Miniwoo: Hehe, I'm glad knockout gas falls under the "poetic license" heading. Thanks for the review by the way, and the idea that anyone might reread this is at once flattering and kind of scary. Now I'm worrying about continuity…._

_Star: Hopefully you liked it enough to continue reading until you got here and read this. Thanks!_

_SRAS9: Yeah, considering Soujiro was good enough to make it hard for Kenshin in the anime, there was no way Kaoru was going to win easily. I think this was the most likely way the fight would have gone. She got banged up a bit, but the turning point happened before any life-threatening damage could happen. And once he lost his emotional control, well… he was done for lol._

_Aslickain Kiant: Forgive you? Are you kidding? Anyone who goes places to build houses for the homeless is perfectly excused for not reviewing lol. Heck, I should thank you. You're doing good work._

_Shia: Here you go!_

_Daichilover: Yay! My plot bunny has potential! __ Glad to hear it, and I think I'll be kind of sad when this ends too._

_Brit02: I'll just treat this as a normal review anyway. Thanks for the compliment, and don't worry… I forget what I'm saying in the middle of sentences sometimes! And heaven forbid someone interrupt me when writing… I immediately lose everything and have to think it up all over again!_

_Satora-wolf: Hey, it's no problem. Sleep is good, though not when you're only halfway there (which is where I spend most of my life)._

_JMai: I was originally going to write most of that fight from Kaoru's perspective, but your review convinced me otherwise, so I really hope you liked it. I tried to go for the more psychological angle in my fight scenes this chapter too, so hopefully that worked out okay. And I'm actually kind of fond of Yumi's character, oddly enough. Soujiro too._

_Kokoronogamu: Yeah, no children hostages for Cho. He basically got whipped off-screen lol. Hopefully nobody feels shortchanged by that; I figured everyone would be more interested in the other fights, and Kenshin's bout with Shishio._

_Geckohawaii: Ooh, trips are fun! No worries, though I'm glad you're back. Kenshin and Kaoru are fun to write together; it's interesting trying to balance the seriousness that they both have because of their experiences with the fact that they are both still technically teenagers. It can't all go smoothly, and there have to be awkward moments, too. I'm glad you like it. And thanks for the comment about Sano. He and Saito make me laugh all the time. I just love Sano in general, actually._

* * *

Reviews make my day.


	16. Chapter 16: Embattled

Chapter 16: Embattled

_The greatest test of courage on earth is to bear defeat without losing heart._

_-Robert Ingersoll_

_

* * *

_Kenshin tried without much success to calm his breathing, to remember all the lessons Hiko had taught him about staying cool in the middle of a fight. He and Shishio were well-matched, seemingly equal in terms of speed and strength.

Still, the fight was in its early stages, and both of them had yet to really begin. Kenshin knew that his opponent was holding back just as surely as Shishio could guess the same about him.

"What say you, Battousai? Should we dispense with the child's play?" the man's voice was low, but it carried enough to be easily audible. There was a rather nasty smirk plastered on his face, a glint of madness in his eyes.

Regarding Shishio as he was, a disturbing thought struck Kenshin. _Is this… what I was? Or what I could have been? _He could not deny the similarities between them. Both fought like men possessed, a cut above their peers in the rebel army even restraining themselves as they were. Both commanded absolute loyalty in their subordinates… and both clearly took pleasure in the rush that accompanied a match against each other.

The bestial grin never left Shishio's face as he continued. "No? I see…" he trailed off, and his eyes bored knowingly into Kenshin. It was as though he sensed the conflict that raged within the other man, and was amused by it. "I suppose I can wait, though I'm not usually a patient man. What will it take for me to face the dreaded Battousai the Manslayer at full strength, hm? Perhaps the death of one of your little flunkies? Two or three, maybe? I assure you, it is being arranged as we speak. Whose body would you like to see first? The thug? He doesn't strike me as too important. The Wolf of Mibu? Yes, I suppose killing someone as strong as he might drive the point home. Then again, I don't think you care too much what happens to that one, either." He finished suggestively, and what he omitted was obviously his real point.

Kenshin remained silent. The gambit was easily discerned: Shishio sought to face him at full strength, which would mean provoking him into reversing the blade on his sword, and striking with the bladed end. A sakabatou, no matter how well-made, was still not lethal, after all, and so represented less danger to his opponent than a katana would.

Tired of listening to Shishio talk, Kenshin flew forward again, employing the Ryushosen, one of the moves he'd relied upon most during the many battles of the revolution. Unsurprisingly, but all the same to the redheaded swordsman's disappointment, the other hitokiri dodged it without much difficulty.

"Tsk, tsk, Battousai," he admonished. "You're going to need to do better than that." He readied his own blade and rushed Kenshin, scoring a shallow cut to the arm when he surprised the other man by increasing his speed dramatically.

Kenshin ignored the wound. It was minor at best, and probably wouldn't even hinder his movement. Still, it was unsettling that Shishio had been the one to land the first blow; their tradeoffs until now had been completely without success for either of them.

It was at this point that the door to the inside slid open. Hoping against all hope that Kaoru would be the one stepping through it, he tried not to let any emotion slip onto his face when he realized it was none other than Saito. The officer swiftly appraised the area; seeing no fighters but Kenshin and Shishio, he moved off to be within reach of the latter's lieutenant, doubtless in case he should try to escape. A cigarette dangled carelessly from his mouth, and his face was carefully schooled into his trademark haughty indifference. If he thought anything of the scene before him, he did not show it.

Somehow, this relieved Kenshin. If any of the others were seriously injured, surely the once-Shinsengumi would have said something. The former Battousai was tempted to extend his own ki sense to be sure, but knew that to distract himself from this battle would mean a most unceremonious demise.

_Distraction… Maybe Saito wouldn't tell me, after all. To do so might be a problem worse then letting me guess, but… There is no point in going over all the things that could be. I must defeat Shishio, and trust that they are strong enough to defend themselves._

With his resolve set, Kenshin returned his full focus to the man in front of him, who raised a laconic eyebrow as if he knew exactly what was going on inside the shorter man's head. Rather than comment, though, they simply returned to the pattern of the battle: attack, dodge, attack, parry, counter…

* * *

Aoshi allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction. With assistance from the Oniwaban, the government's forces had managed to rout Shishio's main army. Now all they needed was to save the city of Kyoto itself from being sacked, and their victory would be complete. _Well, perhaps not quite, _he thought, and his mood quickly sobered as his mind wandered to Kaoru and Sano. They were placing themselves at a great deal of risk, and not for the first time, he wished he could have gone with them.

The burdens of leadership, however, were such that he could not always do what the warrior and friend in him wanted. The Okashira wondered if there wasn't something wrong with that, and decided that now was not the time to be considering such things.

His job, after all, was far from over yet. Signaling to his men, Aoshi indicated that the bulk of them should begin patrolling the city, taking out any remnants of the invasion force that they could find. Pointing out another five of his most skilled operatives, he motioned for them to follow. The Aoiya was burning, he had been told, and Misao was trying to hold off some of Shishio's stronger subordinates.

Aoshi's tactical mind was already running over possibilities and- heaven forbid- contingencies as the six of them took to the rooftops, leaping over the spaces between them with all due haste.

* * *

Sanjo Tsubame was at this point hiding in a small corner of the Shirabeko's kitchen. Nobody had thought the action would get as far as the Aoiya itself, but then someone had set fire to the building, and all the non-ninja staff fled through smoky streets to the other restaurant, whose owner was apparently an old friend of Okina.

They were trying to make as little noise as possible, and it seemed that they had not been discovered. Privately, Tsubame was unsure that this would remain the case, though, and she was doing her best not to panic as sounds from the outside filtered into their hiding place. Just in case, she was maintaining a white-knuckled grip on a heavy frying pan. In any other situation, this might have been laughable, but it was an implement she was familiar with at least; she would have had no idea what to do with a kunai or even one of those wooden swords that Yahiko carried.

_Yahiko…_ Tsubame bit her lip apprehensively. She was worried for him. Ever since they were both small children and she had lost her parents to a strange, wasting disease, Yahiko had been there for her. He had showed her how to live on almost nothing, to become unnoticed in large crowds, to _survive_, no matter what. He had always, always, protected her, and she realized now that he may have gotten deeper into this than he could come back from.

_I'm always such a burden on him… _Even knowing that he was risking his life to save everyone, she could not help but wish that he was here protecting her instead. _I'm useless. _ The knowledge bored a hole in her heart, and it burned.

"Don't worry, Tsubame-chan, everything will be just fine," whispered Sae, the owner, misinterpreting her expression. "You'll see."

Not trusting herself to speak, Tsubame nodded. Fortunately, this meant she didn't miss the sound of the front door being opened. Her eyes flew wide, and her grip reflexively tightened.

"Anyone here?" the voice was harsh, raspy, and Tsubame did not recognize it. She licked her lips nervously, pursing them and willing her breath to be silent.

Unluckily for herself and the others, whoever the voice belonged to was clearly unsatisfied with the lack of an answer, and the sound of heavy footsteps could be heard getting closer.

For lack of a better idea, Tsubame stood and made her way over to the door. Sae's frantic look wasn't enough to dissuade her, and she squeezed her eyes shut briefly before taking a deep breath and opening them again.

"Hey, I said, is anyone here?" the voice called again, and Tsubame would have gasped at the closeness of it had she not been holding her breath as it was. The door was pulled open roughly, and Tsubame observed a man of about thirty with black hair and a beard. Before he could react or even show surprise, she had swung the pan with all her might, and a sound similar to a small gong rang out as it connected with his head.

The man dropped like a stone, and Tsubame stood over his prone form, trembling from head to toe. Behind her, Sae whistled. "Oh dear. Remind me not to upset you in the future, Tsubame-chan." The smile on her face was shaky at best, and did nothing to soothe the girl.

"Is… is he dead?" she asked, almost too afraid to consider the possibility. She hadn't wanted to _kill _anybody, and the mind-numbing panic that settled over her at the thought nearly caused her to faint.

"Dead? No, no, Tsubame-chan, he's just knocked out." Sae spoke soothingly, now that she understood the trouble.

"Oh… that's good then." Despite her best efforts to the contrary, Tsubame slipped into unconsciousness herself. The last thing she would remember were Sae's surprisingly strong arms breaking her fall, and the woman ordering someone to help her find Megumi-san.

* * *

"Come now, my dears, you managed to deal with my comrade there so… _creatively. _Surely you can do better than this." Kamatari's tone was light, almost teasing, and he placed a hand on a hip, absently swinging his chained scythe about.

Misao, for one, was not having it. "Argh!" she managed. _Oh, how articulate, Misao! What would Aoshi-sama say if he saw you now?_

"Misao." _Oh, well I guess he might. Wait…__**what!**_ Turning around somewhat, the kunoichi observed that Aoshi had indeed just arrived. _Kuso._ This was not exactly the best of situations: she looked like a wreck from fighting all day, not to mention the fact that she just couldn't seem to deal with her off-putting opponent no matter what she tried.

"Aoshi-sama," she replied, trying to appear more nonchalant than she felt. "The battle went well then?"

Rather than answer, he looked over her shoulder. "You should not be talking to me if your opponent is not yet defeated," he replied coolly, and she could have kicked herself.

Turning around, she noticed Kamatari giving her a look that bespoke much amusement. _Grr… he's really starting to get on my nerves! _Misao was a pretty realistic person, even when it came to her self-image. She knew she wasn't the sharpest kunai in the belt, so to speak. She also wasn't as strong as Aoshi-sama or Kaoru or a lot of other people she could name. _But never let it be said… that Makamichi Misao gives up._

"Right. Yahiko, you ready?" she asked. If her tone was filled with false bravado and shook a little, nobody mentioned it.

Yahiko shot her a sideways look, and for once, he didn't argue, or make fun of her. "Yeah, you got it," he replied shortly, turning his gaze back to Kamatari.

"So they decide to play for keeps now, do they?" the scythe-wielder exclaimed. "This might just turn out to be fun after all. You don't mind if I stop going easy, do you?" he asked flippantly, shooting an indecently dazzling smile their way.

"Not at all," Misao tossed back, regaining some of her fire. "Let's do this, Yahiko!"

* * *

"Face it, Battousai, you can't beat me like this. Unless you decide to fight me for real, we're done here." Shishio sneered, and resheathed his blade.

Blood dripped from Kenshin's many wounds, and he could not help but think that the other man was right. He simply couldn't defeat his opponent without the use of deadly force, and that was something he was unwilling to do. He staggered forward all the same, even as his lungs cried out for more oxygen than they could provide and his vision faded in and out of blackness. He'd scored hits on Shishio, yes, but nothing compared to the cuts that now riddled himself.

He was vaguely aware of the door sliding open again, and three people emerged this time. He heard a woman's voice cry out, and then a man shouting. He could not make out what they said, however, and slid painfully out of awareness, even as his body collided with the floor.

* * *

"Kenshin!" the cry tore from Kaoru's throat, raw and painful, and then she was by his side, trying to shake him awake, fighting back the tears that threatened. _No, I can't cry! He needs me now, this is no time for me to lose it! _She took note of the many lacerations oozing blood, and felt herself growing sick at the sight of it. And the _smell. _It was cloying, and she had to force herself not to retch as it overpowered her senses.

It wasn't long before Sano had joined her, and she looked up into his face imploringly. "Please, Sano, is there anything you can do?" She knew her voice sounded pitiful and desperate, but she couldn't bring herself to care, not at a time like this.

The look on her surrogate brother's face was grim, but before she could give herself over entirely over to despair, he spoke. "Maybe. I dunno, missy, his wounds are pretty bad."

"Well, do what you can anyway," she practically shouted. Worrying her lower lip, she looked down at Kenshin. He was bloodied and bruised, eyes closed against the horrendous pain he must be in. Some strands of his hair had fallen across his face, and she brushed these away tenderly before standing abruptly. _This is my fault. He swore he wouldn't kill this man for me, and now he's… __**no**_. She refused to believe he would die from this. There was no way. This was Kenshin, after all.

_So then he just needs time… and time is something I can give him. _Her expression hardened visibly as she glared at Shishio. So this was the man who sought to bring all of Japan under his thumb. She could almost see why Yumi loved him. He was well enough, as men went, and he radiated confidence and power. Kenshin had been much like that when she'd first met him. _But even then, even at his worst, there was a gentleness in Kenshin that this man does not possess. _Her hands clenched involuntarily into fists at her sides, and she forced them not to shake.

He returned her scrutiny almost curiously, as though he did not know what to make of her. Well, she was used to that. Nobody ever seemed to quite get what she was about, and that was just fine with her.

"So you're Shishio Makoto then," she said coldly. There was no response initially, and Kaoru suppressed a shiver as a breeze kicked up from the west, teasing her ponytail and rapidly cooling he sweaty back.

"I am," he replied, and his tone chilled her more than the wind. There was something… _unnatural _about it, as though the man were not quite sane.

Chiding herself for thinking such things, she gripped the hilt of her sakabatou. _He's still human, and that means he can be defeated. _"Draw your sword," she snarled, aware that Sano had moved Kenshin off to the side and was attempting to staunch the worst of the bleeding despite having only one functional hand.

Rather than obey her, he cocked his head slightly to one side. "Are you the one who managed to make it past Soujiro then?" The question was laced with disbelief, and that only fueled Kaoru's inner drive to see him as a heap on the ground.

The swordswoman ground her teeth in frustration, but decided to just answer. It didn't matter _how _she stalled for time, after all, and it was only her anger that demanded it be by battle. "I am," she responded, echoing him on purpose.

His eyes narrowed slightly, and she watched him stiffen without relinquishing her hold on the sakabatou. If he had inflicted that many wounds on Kenshin, then he was fast, probably faster than she was. That was not an insurmountable obstacle, however: Soujiro had been quicker than her as well.

"Hmm, fine. Perhaps you will prove a less disappointing diversion than the Battousai," Shishio drawled, deliberately provoking her further.

He disappeared from view, and it was only her reflexes, honed by hours training against Hiko, that saved her from being sliced in half. As expected, he seemed to have the edge in speed, and definitely in strength. _No matter. _Most of her opponents were stronger than her, and she still had a tendency to win against all but the best of them.

Disengaging, she whipped her sword around to try and get at his abdomen, but was blocked just as surely as he had been by her. Her muscles, sore already from the bout with Soujiro, protested violently, but she ignored the pain as she flung attack after attack at the man in front of her.

Aggressive though she was being, one of the earliest lessons her father had taught her was that letting her anger and frustration rule her led only to foolish mistakes, and she was careful to keep it in check. Blow after blow hammered against Shishio's blade, but never once did she give in to the aggravation and drop her defenses either.

Eventually, her opponent seemed to tire of being on the defensive, and lashed out with strikes of his own, first at her side, then her neck and chest. She bent and twisted around them all, blocking when dodging wasn't an option. Still, she could feel herself tiring. Fighting Soujiro had apparently taken more out of her than she thought, and she was quickly accumulating more shallow cuts to add to the one on her shoulder.

_Please Kenshin, _she implored him in her mind, _you have to wake up soon. I don't know how much longer I can do this…_

* * *

Misao was out of brilliant ideas. The thing was, she just _knew _there was a way to beat Kamatari, otherwise Aoshi would have insisted on stepping in. As it was, he hadn't decided to insult her by offering, and she was grateful. He had to see that she could do these things on her own.

Well, not exactly alone. She had Yahiko's help, after all, and it had been his quick thinking that had felled their last opponent. He was clearly quite content to follow her lead on this one, though.

That assumed she could think of anything to lead him to do, of course. _C'mon, Misao, you can do this! What do you have at your disposal? Three knives, your fists, and… Yahiko. _She knew that projectiles were all but useless; Kamatari just knocked them away with the chain attached to his scythe.

Her thoughts were interrupted when the ball on the end of that chain came hurtling towards her. Misao scrambled to dodge, just barely avoiding being hit with the business end of the scythe a moment later. _That's it!_

"Yahiko! Be ready to attack on my signal!" she yelled, and the boy nodded in response.

Gritting her teeth against what she knew was to come, she threw one of her remaining kunai at Kamatari, who, true to form, blocked it and sent the ball and chain flying at her as a response. Instead of jumping to the side to avoid it, Misao ran forward, leaping straight up just in time to avoid the hit , landing on the chain just as Kamatari was about to whip it back. Gripping her two remaining kunai in each hand, she thrust one between the links of the chain, effectively staking it to the ground. It wouldn't hold for long, but it would be long enough.

"Now!" Yahiko sprang forward, and Kamatari turned his attention to the boy. Grinning wickedly, Misao ran up the taut chain. Just as Kamatari was about to strike Yahiko with the remaining end of his weapon, she tossed her final kunai. "I don't think so!" she said in a sing-song voice, springing into the air. Kamatari was now faced with a choice: try to hit Yahiko, or block her kunai.

Doubtless deciding that a shinai was bound to do less damage than a bladed knife, he opted for the latter. To be fair, either would have been a mistake, since Misao was now descending on him with fury. Her heel met his shoulder at the same time as Yahiko's wooden sword found his exposed side, though the kunai did clatter harmlessly off his scythe.

Misao landed hard, but she hardly cared, so relieved was she that it was finally over. In fact, she was pretty sure she was laughing like a maniac, but she would never remember for sure in the years to come, because, for what seemed like the first time in years, Aoshi-sama actually _smiled. _At _her._ For some reason other than her being silly.

So it was with a big, stupid grin on her face that she dared to slip a hand in his. "Let's see about putting out some fires, shall we?"

Aoshi merely cocked an eyebrow and nodded, but it was enough.

* * *

Sano attended as best he could to Kenshin's wounds, but he had little in the way of supplies other than a small jar of ointment the fox had given him. It wasn't easy tying makeshift bandages with one hand, either, especially when that one hand was slick with blood. Still he made due with strips torn from his own and Kenshin's garments, all the while mumbling to his patient.

"Dammit, you'd better not be dead," he groused. "The missy… well, I think she loves ya, and she'd be hurt as Hell if you didn't make it. If you die, I'm gonna hafta kill you." Realizing the absurdity of his statement a only belatedly, he shook his head a little.

As soon as he was finished, he dared to look up at the battle. Kaoru was riddled with lacerations, though none of them were yet as bad as the unconscious man's. Still, she looked to be tiring swiftly, and he knew that she didn't have much left in her before she became little more than fodder for Shishio's blade.

It was then that he saw something extraordinary. Kaoru moved into a stance he'd never seen her use, which should have been his first clue. As it was, he'd only realize later what she had been doing. Shishio, too seemed to be more serious than before. The fistfighter strained his ears, and was able to hear what the two were saying.

"…I'll give you credit for lasting longer than expected. I think it is time to end this now, though." Shishio said without much inflection.

Kaoru, silver eyes flashing, nodded. "I agree. Come at me with all you've got, because I'll do the same." Gone were all traces of gentleness from her manner, though her ki still felt the same as it ever did. It seemed that had Kaoru been anyone else, she would have been about ready to kill him. Sano knew, though, that her code was ingrained so deeply in her being that the idea had probably never even occurred to her to flip her blade.

_Missy, be careful…_ Sano was interrupted as his patient stirred.

* * *

Kaoru stood, sword held before her in one hand. The other held her sheath, now positioned parallel to the blade itself. _It's now or never, Kaoru. Time to make your father proud. _Her plan would require timing of the most precise kind, and she struggled to quiet her trembling muscles. This was no time for her body to fail her.

Shishio seemed to sense her discomfort and grinned sadistically. Taking a steadying breath, Kaoru forced herself to be still, repeating the motions over and over again in her mind until they were fixed there, like a tattoo upon her consciousness.

So when Shishio moved, she was ready. When he swung, she blocked with the sheath. As expected, he cut straight through it, slicing off the bottom half. She shifted swiftly while he was caught off-guard by the move, sliding what remained of the sheath over his sword, twisting to force the blade sideways.

Flipping her sakabatou over in her hand, she brought the bladed end down on the bottom half of his sword, now protruding from the end of the sheath. Because of her grip on it, she was able to control the precise angle of the strike.

"Kamiya Kasshin-ryu," she intoned, "Kenbure-ka!" She struck Shishio's sword twice with her blade, and once with the hilt. Upon the last blow, the sword bloke cleanly in half, and she leaped back, taking her tattered sheath with her.

For a while, nobody moved. Shishio was regarding his broken sword with something approaching appreciation, while his assistant and Sano openly gaped. There was a small smirk on Saito's face, as though he were simply amused. Kaoru dared not look at Kenshin, for fear of what she might see.

"Hmm… not bad," her opponent conceded. "I'll not fall for it again, however." He motioned to the other man, who produced a second sword from under his cloak. "Consider yourself honored, woman. I have not killed anyone with my real sword since the day I slew my master many years ago."

Kaoru's shoulders sagged, and she knew she had been defeated. The exertion from the maneuver had pulled open many of her wounds, and she was losing blood quicker than she cared to contemplate. She needed rest, and there was simply no way she was going to get it now. Kenbure-ka was, for the moment, the strongest move in the Kamiya Kasshin style, and had been her father's final technique. She lamented briefly that she would not have the opportunity to create something even better. _Still, I am not afraid to die, and if I must do so, then…_ she swayed unsteadily on her feet.

"You have done enough, Kaoru-dono," came a voice from behind her, and Kaoru nearly jumped out of her skin when hands touched her shoulders, steadying her, careful to avoid any of her over her shoulder, she caught sight of Kenshin, now apparently standing despite his wounds.

"Kenshin…" she said softly. There was something… _off _about him. In that moment, though he held her carefully, he felt more like the Battousai of old then the Kenshin she had come to know.

Still, she sheathed her sword, careful not to cut herself where it now protruded from the end for about a foot and a half. His eyes softened when she looked back at him, and she thought she must have imagined it.

Stepping back, she came to stand near Sano, who rested his good hand on her shoulder for comfort. "Ya did somethin' pretty amazing there, missy," he said proudly. "If that jerk Shishio didn't have a spare hangin' around, that woulda been then end of him."

Kaoru shook her head. "That sword isn't just a spare, Sano," she replied. "It's his real one." Looking between the bruised and battered Kenshin and the relatively little-damaged Shishio, she felt her heart twist uncomfortably. _Kenshin…_

* * *

Shishio surveyed him with disinterest. "That's not very good of you, Battousai. I was having more fun with her than you. She's so much more… interesting. It would be a pleasure to kill her, don't you think?" The terrible grin seemed to stretch out his face in some grotesque parody of joy.

"I wouldn't try it if I were you," Kenshin replied coldly. "You might not like the result."

"Oh?" Shishio laughed, a slight manic quality to it. "And I suppose you think you could stop me? You weren't going so well last time, and well, now I just feel so worked up that I _have _to kill something. And let's face it: your woman put up much more of a fight than you did. It's a shame she has to die. I could use someone like her…" he trailed off, malice gleamed in his eyes.

Kenshin felt the tide of anger sweep him away before he was fully ready for it, sharpening every sense to its razor edge, slicing away all his self-control in the process. _No, I mustn't… I promised Kaoru-dono. I am not the Battousai any longer._

_**Oh? **_asked a familiar voice in his head. _**Don't tell me you're willing to let her die to appease your conscience. If you care about her, you'll make sure she lives, no matter the cost. **_He grimaced; it had been a while since the killer inside him had been so strong, the instinct to rip Shishio to pieces was nearly unbearable.

Kenshin struggled, but there was no way out. The logic was irreparable: he either had to become the Battousai once more or allow those cared about to die, crushed under Shishio's blade or his tyranny, whichever came first. After several moments of agonized indecision, he submitted to the Battousai within himself and struck.

* * *

Kaoru was growing more apprehensive by the moment. As of yet, Kenshin had not flipped his blade, but she could not shake the sense that it was only a matter of time. _Kenshin, please… you have to fight it._

She watched as the two swordsmen flew about the area, blades clashing violently, the sound ringing in her ears. She followed their movements carefully, watching for any sign, any signal of who would be the victor. Kenshin seemed to be landing more hits, but Shishio was certainly not getting soundly defeated, either.

It wasn't for another ten minutes that they stopped, and Kaoru had to constantly remind herself to breathe, so frequently did her breath still as Kenshin sustained a new wound or barely dodged a blow. Her own injuries pricked at the edge of her mind, but she firmly ignored them. She would live. His safety was, for the moment, a much more pressing concern.

At last, Shishio leapt backwards and settled into a different stance. Observing it, Kaoru could tell that it was different from anything else that he used, and would likely rely on powering through any and all defense. She hoped Kenshin knew this, but reminded herself that he had been trained by the same man as she, and Hiko-sensei would not have neglected something so important. _I must believe in him. _The warning she may have voiced faded into the whisper of her breath between her lips.

Kenshin himself sheathed his sword, ready to use some form of battojutsu, most likely the final technique of the Hiten Mitsurugi. He stood with one foot slightly turned, like he always did whenever attempting to use his speed to its fullest advantage.

"Shu no Hiken-"

"Hiten Mitsurugi-ryu-"

"Kaguzuchi!"

"Amekaeru-ryu no Hirameki!"

Kaoru almost lost track of them, so fast did they move. Shishio's attack was deadly, but not fast enough for Kenshin, who managed to hit first, completely taking the strength out of his opponent's slash. Still, the other man's sword did manage to slice him across the chest, if only shallowly.

The effect of the Amekakeru-ryu no Hirameki was much more pronounced, and there was an audible, sickening _crack _as at least three of Shishio's ribs shattered and he fell to his knees, struggling to take in air to his lungs.

There was a sharp intake of breath to her right, and Kaoru noticed Yumi cover her mouth with her hands in shock. Furrowing her brows, she turned back to the others, and her eyes widened in horror as she observed that Kenshin was still advancing. He came to stand before the fallen Shishio, and, without so much as a word, flipped the blade of his sakabatou.

_

* * *

Kiku's Corner!_

_Uh-oh! What will Kenshin do? Lol, I realize I'm evil. I also said this would be the last chapter, but it's actually only half of it. I decided to split it and give you guys this half early. The last bit will be up on Friday as usual. Hope you enjoy!_

_Thanks to Beth the edit ninja for all her help; you rock, lady!_

_Also, I have been informed that answering reviews in-story is not a good idea, and so I'm sorry to say that I will not only have to go back and delete the other ones, but I won't be able to put new ones in either! Boo, fanfic dot net! _

_So, I guess I'll just list your names? Sorry, that feels so lame comparatively…_

_Kiku would like to thank the following super-awesome, beyond-most-positive-adjectives, lovely people below! (I will also try to remember to PM you, but unfortunately some of you are anonymous… _

_**HayHay, **__Jiyoung,__** Caseyedith, **__Sirenmergirl,__** Pterion,**__Joy,__** Kokoronogamu, **__Geckohawaii,__** Brit02,**__JMai,__**Satora-Wolf, **__Mel, __and __**Aslickain Kiant.**_

_**Note**: Kenbure-ka translates to "sword-breaker," just in case you were curious.**  
**_

* * *

Reviews appreciated. You guys keep me writing!


	17. Chapter 17: Loved

Chapter 17: Loved

_Perhaps the feelings that we experience when we are in love represent a normal state. Being in love shows a person who he should be._

_-Anton Chekov_

* * *

The Battousai raised his sword to deal the deathblow, but was stymied by a cry.

"No!" Kaoru shouted. Faster than she should have been able to move with her wounds, she was in front of him, arms spread wide in a gesture of protection, stopping him from approaching Shishio. "Kenshin, you can't do this, please!"

The Battousai wondered why this strange woman was calling him by his given name. He remembered that he knew her, and that she was somehow important, and that he should not kill her. Other than that, he could not say. He was also puzzled by her bizarre behavior towards his opponent. Surely, she was not _protecting _the man who had almost killed her.

"Kenshin," she continued in a broken whisper. "You promised." The Battousai blinked, trying to figure out what in the seven hells she was talking about. She was gazing imploringly at him, and something about that shook him. _Kaoru-dono… wait. Yes, that's her name. But why do I know that? Why do I care?_

_**None of that matters. Just get her to step aside and kill him. Finish what you started, **_his internal logic berated him. There would be plenty of time to figure out what was going on later. A hitokiri never let a target escape with his life. Or did he? The Battousai looked from Shishio to the woman called Kaoru and back again. Her eyes, he observed, were a luminous silver-white color. For some reason, that seemed… important. Like they reminded him of something. Something he cared about. _Is it possible… that I care about this woman? _Somehow, despite the part of him that protested, this appeared to fit.

Even the protesting side was effectively silenced when she pushed aside his sword and latched onto him. He was initially too surprised to react; nobody touched him like that, not if they wished to live.

During the moments between the act and his successful processing of it, he was able to make several observations. Her grip was surprisingly strong, and her presence was… _warm. Warm like sunshine, and soothing like spring rain. _He noticed that she smelled slightly sweet, like jasmine. Soft, lustrous hair brushed against his chin, and he was overcome with the desire to run his fingers through it. A compulsion that seemed… strangely familiar.

"Kenshin…" she repeated into his shoulder, and it all came back to him. He remembered why she was important, why he cared. He remembered Hiko and the forest and the time they first met, how her silver eyes and gentle nature had entranced him, convinced him not to kill. He recalled the comfortable weight of her sleeping against his shoulder, the way they had stood like this before, if only once.

His anger and frustration left him as swiftly as if they had been washed away by the rain. All traces of stiffness disappeared from his posture, and he briefly returned her embrace before moving her out to arms' length. "Kaoru-dono, I…" he struggled for the words. "Please forgive me."

She smiled softly and stepped back. "For what? There's nothing to forgive, Kenshin, as long as you're back to yourself." Her eyes met his, and widened in shock. "Kenshin! Your eyes… they're purple!"

His brow furrowed. This was most unexpected. He knew, of course, that they had been so once, but had accepted that they weren't likely to change back. He had actually come to appreciate this fact, for his eyes reminded him of what he had become, and what he was in danger of becoming once again. But the fact that they had changed… _what could this mean? _He had no doubt that Kaoru was responsible; it seemed that any positive change in himself was largely her doing.

So Kenshin smiled, and pulled her into his arms again. "Thank you, Kaoru-dono. Truly," he whispered, before stepping back again.

Neither of them noticed Shishio tighten his grip on his sword.

* * *

Yumi's eyes never left her lover's form, though she did notice Saito was watching him as well. She didn't much care. She was still having trouble coming to terms with the fact that Shishio-sama had lost a fight. She silently thanked Kaoru for convincing Himura to spare him; the thought of living without him had become intolerable while she wasn't looking.

Though it was impossible to ignore the other two completely, it was almost unbearable to watch. Was it not what she had always wanted, after all? _Well, perhaps not quite. _She was not so blameless or foolish as to not admit a certain degree of complacency in her lover's machinations; she rather enjoyed the idea of being empress of the entire country, after all. Still, as she watched Shishio, she could not help but think she'd give it all up if only he asked. _Not that he'd ever ask. _

It was because she was so focused on the man she loved that she noticed him stir, and it was because she knew him so well that she understood his intent.

But it was because she knew herself that she felt compelled to act. _Not her, Shishio-sama! _Yumi ran, throwing herself at Kaoru and pushing the younger woman aside just as her lover's sword pierced her back, and, through her, Himura.

"Yumi? What have you done?" he asked incredulously, and she felt the sword tremble slightly. _So, he does care…_

"I'm… so glad that… I can finally be use….ful… to you, Shishio-sama," she said by way of reply. She inwardly cursed herself for the fact that she could not bring herself to address him without the honorifics, even now. But then, there was a reason she used them in the first place. As much as she loved him, she knew that the depth of her emotion would be considered a weakness. Yumi knew well what Shishio thought of weakness. So she hid her love behind a façade of overbearing lust and the thirst for power. _So twisted I've become… it's really too bad I've forgotten how to be anything else._

Looking at Kaoru, who was watching with a horror-stricken expression, she spoke again. "Don't… look so surprised," she told the other woman. "You…. know you would have done the same… in my position." In truth, she was glad she had been able to save the girl's life in the process of dying for Shishio. It was the one part of the deed that didn't feel tainted with pride or envy or corrupted emotions.

The silver-eyed samurai's visage morphed into one of grief. _Of course, the one you love would never force you to make that decision. But that's where you and I are different, isn't it?_

Komagata Yumi slumped, falling to the ground beneath her, whispered words of love dying on her lips as the life left her body.

* * *

Kenshin's face was a mask of disgust, as he dislodged the blade from his abdomen. The blow was bad, but not lethal. He stared hard at Shishio. "How could you?" he asked baldly. "She was probably the only person in the world who was ever completely loyal to you."

Shishio laughed, a humorless sound, and slightly wet due to the blood in his lungs. All treatable, but not if this didn't end soon. "Of course she was. But you heard her; it's what she wanted."

Kenshin was about to respond scathingly when a hand on his arm caused him to look to his side at Kaoru, who shook her head. "There's no convincing him otherwise," she said sadly. "Let's just let Saito arrest him and go home." She offered a weak smile, and he gave in.

When the two turned to look at Saito, however, they found that the Wolf of Mibu's gaze was firmly fixed somewhere else. Shishio followed their eyes and laughed again, this time with no trace of sanity left. "Hoji! Send us all to Hell!" he called, dissolving into further fits of deranged laughter.

"What's going on?" Sano asked, jogging up to the two of them, cradling one of his hands. Kenshin hadn't even noticed it was injured, but supposed it was to be expected.

"It would appear that the entire fortress is rigged to explode," Saito replied tonelessly. "Plan B, perhaps?"

"What?" Sano yelled by way of reply, casting about as if to locate the bombs. "Then why the hell are we just standing around here? We gotta run!"

Saito calmly lit a cigarette. "And how do you suppose we do that? If we tried to leave the same way we came in, we'd never make it out in time." He took a slow drag, and exhaled a cloud of smoke languidly, as though nothing whatsoever was amiss.

Kenshin grimaced. Unfortunately, the former Shinsengumi was right. There seemed to be no way out. He glanced down at Kaoru by his side. If he ran on his own, he might make it. But her wounds were worse than his at the moment, and there was no way she would make it, even if he carried her. _Then I stay._

"Over here," someone called, and Kenshin felt Kaoru stiffen, then look past him to the source of the voice.

"Seta-san?" she sounded confused.

A young boy, not much older than Yahiko by the looks of it, approached the group. "I know a faster way out," he said rapidly, "but we have to hurry!" He motioned impatiently with a hand, bidding them move as quickly as their battered bodies would allow.

Kaoru nodded, and her seeming trust in the boy was enough for Kenshin, who followed without hesitation, Sano and Saito not far behind. The boy led them underground, through some relatively straightforward tunnels than Kenshin supposed were used by the Juppongatana for practical reasons, given the layout of the floor above.

Not three seconds after they emerged into the evening light, a massive explosion rocked the fortress, and the five escapees had to duck falling debris. "Whew. That was close," Sano deadpanned. This was apparently too much for Kaoru, who began to laugh, most likely just delighted to be alive. _And why not? _Kenshin asked himself, smiling a bit at the sound of it.

* * *

Two weeks later, Kaoru awoke in the room she and Misao shared at the Aoiya, and smiled. Ever since the battle with Shishio had ended, she had felt much lighter. The war was officially over, the Oniwaban were rebuilding the restaurant- having finished the inn part already- and she was surrounded by her friends.

In fact, the only sore spot in the whole thing seemed to be Kenshin. The smile disappeared from her face as she considered everyone's new favorite redheaded samurai. At first, when it was over, he seemed just as relieved as everyone else. Then he and Hiko-sensei had had a talk before the latter left to return to his forest, and now he seemed to exist in his own gray world of melancholy.

Sighing heavily, she stepped around the still-slumbering Misao as she pulled on the red kimono the other girl had ordered for her, one with a motif of silver-white flower petals that scattered upward from the bottom. An indigo obi finished off the design, and Kaoru had to admit that her friend had excellent taste; she found that she rather liked it, though she still didn't like _moving_ in it. Still, she supposed she'd have to get used to such things, now that she didn't have constant work as an excuse for wearing gi and hakama all the time.

She didn't have a ribbon of appropriate color to wear with this kimono, so she settled for combing through her thick black hair thoroughly and binding it up with the slender sticks that reminded her too much of her favorite eating implements. _It'll have to do for today._

She made her way downstairs without running into anybody. Not that this surprised her; Aoshi was always at the temple by now and usually there were only one or two other people awake at all.

She walked past Sano's room, heard his snoring through the door, and wondered how Megumi thought she was going to deal with that. Sano, being Sano, had proposed in the most unromantic manner possible, bringing it up casually as they were tending patients at her clinic, but the "fox-woman"- as he liked to call her- had agreed pretty readily… after making him swear off gambling and fighting. Personally, Kaoru thought he _might _be able to give up the first, but the second was just wishful thinking. She had a sneaking suspicion that Megumi knew it too.

To some people, it may have seemed as though Sano had proposed sooner than was strictly proper. But as he had pointed out, you never knew what was going to happen anymore- better to say what you need to say and be done with it. He had looked at Kenshin pointedly as he said this, though Kaoru was unsure why. Also, neither he nor Megumi had a parent who still wished to know of them, so it was entirely up to them to make this decision. Okina and other Oniwaban members would stand in for relatives where necessary, but they had no power over the choices involved.

Kaoru sighed again as she thought of it. It was wonderful that Sano and Megumi were finding their happiness, of course, but a part of her was envious. She had come to accept that she was in love with Kenshin, but she just wasn't sure she was willing to stake their friendship on a confession that could turn out very badly on the likely chance that he did not reciprocate. _Maybe __**I'm **__the one who needs to take Sano's advice, _she thought ruefully.

The two of them had shared their moments, of course, but Kaoru had long since explained away each and every one of them in her mind. All could easily be interpreted as gestures of friendship or respect or necessity. She had no idea what Misao was talking about when the latter went off about 'the look in his eye' or whatever nonsense she said while trying to convince Kaoru that there was something there. The swordswoman largely ignored her on the basis that it was best to err on the side of caution where Kenshin was concerned and she should not make something out of nothing. This caused Misao no small amount of frustration.

She was brought out of her musings as the object of her current thoughts presented himself, sitting next to her on the covered veranda outside, where she had taken to watching the midsummer rains fall on the garden.

"Good morning, Kenshin," she said, smiling and mustering the cheerfulness she was currently lacking.

"Kaoru-dono," he began haltingly, "there is something I must tell you."

Kenshin watched as her expression moved between confusion, foreboding, and… hope? In truth, each one entranced him as much as the next, but none as much as her smile. Which made his decision all the more painful. _No… it is for the best._

"Kaoru-dono… I have done many terrible things in my life." It was hard for him to decide where to start, so he chose to lead her through his entire thought process. He wanted, no, _needed_ her to understand this.

She shook her head. "Kenshin, I've already told you, none of that matters to me."

"But it matters to me," he replied softly. "I cannot forgive myself as easily as you can, Kaoru-dono. This is why… I've decided to seek atonement." He shot her a glance, hoping to gauge her reaction before he proceeded.

Her face was largely blank, and she had gone quite still. "To seek atonement… how?" she asked at last.

"I talked it over with Hiko, and, well, I have decided to travel for a bit, see what I can do to help those that I meet." He felt his gut wrench unpleasantly as her face fell into a frown. Though it was no less fascinating than any of the other emotions that appeared on her beautifully expressive face, he hated it more than anything he could name.

"I…see," she levelly, calmly, though there was something in her eyes that he could not place. "And what does Hiko-sensei think of this?"

"He thinks I am being foolish, but this is something I need to do," Kenshin explained carefully. In truth, he had decided before he talked to Hiko, and the old man had berated him for what this was going to do to Kaoru. Kenshin hadn't really considered it that way. Kaoru was surely a kind, compassionate person… and he cared for her more than he would ever say, because he did not wish to take advantage of her nature. Still, he hadn't imagined his departure would be too difficult for her to take, and she did seem to be managing it well.

"If you think that wandering is something that will help you come to terms with yourself, then by all means," she replied, giving him a small smile. "We'll all miss you of course, and you should stop by whenever you end up around here." The invitation seemed genuine enough, but there was something in her tone that gave him pause.

He decided to just move on. "I came to return this," he said, removing her indigo ribbon from a pocket in his gi. He noticed absently that it matched the obi of her kimono today, which really did make her look quite… _no. Stop. You're about to leave, and you must. Do not linger on this, or make it harder than it has to be._

She stared at it for several seconds, then shook her head. "Keep it. As a reminder." She did not specify of what.

He nodded and tucked it away again, standing. She stood with him. "Well, I suppose I should go now," he began. Every moment he spent in her company was making his resolve shakier.

"What? You mean you aren't staying for the wedding?" she sounded surprised, and took a step back. He flinched internally.

_Perhaps I should have made that clearer. _"I can't," he responded feebly. There was no way he'd last another week without staying for good. _Maybe I could… even if she doesn't feel the same way, I-_

"I see. Well, then, I suppose this is good bye then." He nodded, and she bowed formally. "Thank you for everything, Kenshin."

Slightly put-off by her sudden politeness, he returned the bow. "You as well, Kaoru-dono." He had to leave, had to seek redemption, even if he wished nothing more than to remain. He smiled, and Kaoru returned it shyly before turning and disappearing back inside the Aoiya.

Kenshin sighed and turned to face the path that would lead him into a life of atonement for his crimes. Maybe, when all was said and done, he could finally be at peace. He stepped into the rain, heedless of the threat it presented to his health. Okina had lent him a hat to stave off the worst of it. There was no time like the present, he supposed. _So why do I feel as though I've made the wrong choice?_

* * *

Three years later, and summer had come early to Kyoto. Aoshi strode through the open marketplace with purpose. He needed to pay a visit to Saito about a recent case that he was consulting on, and he only had another hour before the man left his office. He would pay a social call if necessary, but he would really rather not.

He allowed his mind to drift as he walked, and it flitted happily past his wife's smiling face as he told her he wanted her to take over as Okashira and schematics for the new clinic the Oniwaban were building Megumi as a gesture of gratitude. Unfortunately, it settled rather uncomfortably on Kaoru. The unfortunate woman was still not quite herself, though it had been quite some time since Himura had left.

He sighed internally. The swordswoman's state bothered Misao quite a bit, and truth be told he wasn't happy with it either. Kaoru had done a lot for both the Oniwabanshu and Aoshi personally, and he had come to consider her a friend, as odd as that word still sounded to him.

Still, there was little he or anyone else could do for her. There was only one person who could really help Kaoru, and he was nowhere to be found. To be honest, it wasn't as though she was failing to function just fine, because she was actually meeting with quite a bit of success. She'd opened a dojo, and had several students. She visited the Aoiya and the clinic a few times a week, and she was largely the same friendly, warm person as she had always been. It was only in the moments when she thought nobody was watching that she faltered. People would look away, and Kaoru would forget she was supposed to be smiling. Occasionally, Aoshi would catch her staring listlessly into space, but when questioned, she would merely smile sadly and decline to say anything about it.

A low growl of frustration escaped him, and ice-blue eyes sharply scanned the area as though searching for the answer to his frustration there. Unsatisfied, he ducked through the door to the police station just as someone else was coming out, and stopped dead in his tracks.

"Himura?" he asked speculatively, betraying none of the surprise he felt. "What are you doing here?"

The redhead's eyes went wide. "Oh, hello, Aoshi. I just got taken in for wearing a sword. Apparently that's illegal now." The wanderer placed a hand behind his head in affected self-effacement, but Aoshi wasn't having any of it.

"You're in Kyoto long enough to be arrested, and you haven't bothered to visit Kaoru?" The former Okashira fixed his once-ally with his best ice-man glare.

Himura seemed largely unaffected, though Aoshi supposed that wasn't really the point. "I think it would be best if I didn't see Kaoru-dono right now, that I do," he replied slowly.

Aoshi ignored the curious speech pattern that Himura seemed to have picked up. "Your cowardice does you little credit," he replied stonily. He wasn't going to spell it out for the man, but hopefully that would be enough.

Without waiting for a reply, he brushed past the shorter man in search of Saito.

* * *

Kamiya Kaoru was at the market with her three live-in students, trying to decide what to cook for dinner. She sometimes missed living at the Aoiya, where all the meals were free, but had ultimately decided that opening a dojo was worth the sacrifice. She had somehow found herself unwilling or unable to return to Tokyo, even after all this time. Here in Kyoto, she was close to all the friends she had made, and could even visit Hiko-sensei sometimes without needing to make a major event of it.

"Don't make us eat sushi _again, _busu!" Yahiko grumped, crossing his arms over his chest and scowling in typical Yahiko fashion.

"Yahiko," Kaoru replied in a warning tone, "if you want me to make it, and you want to be alive after eating it, it has to be sushi." She was swiftly losing her patience, and tried not to let it show. She had to be the responsible one, after all. Not that it stopped her from clocking him when he was _too _far out of line.

"Uhm, Kaoru-sensei, I could cook tonight if you would like…" Tsubame fiddled with the hem of her sleeve and looked at the ground. Kaoru sighed. She appreciated the girl's offer; indeed, she had enjoyed having Tsubame around for a number of reasons. Once Sae at the Shirabeko had told her the story of the samurai and the frying pan, Kaoru had insisted on taking the girl on as a student, and she was certainly much more pleasant than Yahiko. Still, her youngest pupil seemed to suffer from perpetual shyness, and occasionally it got on Kaoru's nerves.

She pasted on a smile for their sakes. "That sounds lovely, Tsubame-chan. What would you like for dinner, Soujiro-kun?" she asked the most unconventional of her students, completely ignoring Yahiko on purpose. Soujiro was here of his own initiative, having decided that there was nowhere better for him to go after what happened at Shishio's fortress. He had forsaken everything that his former master had taught him in favor of learning her style, and he had excelled. All three of them had, in fact, and they helped out as the assistant instructors at her dojo. _Or at least, they would, if I had any other students anymore…_

Whatever Soujiro might have said was drowned out by the sound of a police alarm. Kaoru's head snapped up, and she focused on hearing snippets of conversation as a group of officers passed her. "They say they've finally found Battousai-"

"Kamiya Kasshin-ryu-"

Kaoru's teeth ground together. Not only was this jerk defaming her style by claiming to use it, he was stealing Kenshin's name to do it! _Not_ the kind of thing he needed when trying to atone for his past. She chose to ignore the part where she still hated herself for not telling him she loved him. She had known he had to leave, and that she had no right to try and make him stay. Since then, she had done her damndest to live the way she wanted, but she couldn't help but feel that there was something missing, and she knew well what it was.

"You three, buy whatever you want," she said, handing Soujiro the dinner budget for the day. "I'll be back."

Yahiko looked like he was about to protest, but Soujiro merely nodded and led the others off in the direction of the tofu vendor, leaving Kaoru to follow the officers. The oldest boy knew better than to protest when she looked like that, glints of silver at the edges of her irises, mouth set as though she might tear down anything in her way. Kaoru was in a kimono, but kept her sakabatou strapped to her back at all times anyway. There was a ban on swords these days, though it helped to know one of the highest-ranking police officers in the city, and Saito had issued her a permit.

As she suspected, the cops were having trouble dealing with a massive man who was clearly neither the Battousai nor using her father's style. Blue eyes narrowing, Kaoru charged in past the officers and delivered several heavy blows to the man, who fell backwards under the admittedly slightly overzealous onslaught.

"Kamiya-san," greeted Hojo Yousuke, the captain of this particular squad. The two knew each other pretty well, and he was quite aware of her vendetta against the imposter.

"Hojo-san, please make sure the others know that this man was not using Kamiya Kasshin-ryu," she implored.

He nodded, understanding her plight. "I'll do you one better," he replied. "I'll make sure everyone knows it was the Kamiya Kasshin-ryu that took him down. And my son will be back to his lessons on Monday, since my wife no longer has any reason to keep him away." The officer shook his head. His wife's… opinions on letting their son train at a school with a female kendo instructor were very well-expressed.

She smiled broadly, but her thanks was cut off by another whistle, this one of the variety carried by individual officers. Still, if whoever had it was using it, that meant he needed help. "May I?" she inquired.

"Of course," he replied easily, and he ordered his men to see to the large impersonator while he and Kaoru took off toward the sound of the whistle.

* * *

"Sir! As you know, a ban has been applied on all bladed weapons. Your sword is in clear violation of the law!"

Kenshin sighed. This was not going well at all. For some reason, the officer had deemed him a threat and blown his whistle, which meant that there were only going to be more people involved, and soon.

"Please, officer," Kenshin began respectfully as he could, "I told you I have a permit. If you would just allow me to show it to you-" he reached for his pocket, where he kept the piece of paper Saito had given him upon his initial arrest.

"Keep your hands where they are!" the officer practically shrieked, and Kenshin had to try really hard to avoid rolling his eyes. Here he was, on his way to find Kaoru, having at last decided that he needed some closure. Perhaps… perhaps he had done her an injustice by leaving without properly telling her how he felt. Things never seemed to go the way he planned, though, and he was beginning to wonder if he should have ignored Aoshi's rather cold reminder and Hiko's frequent admonishments after all.

Just then, the two were interrupted as more people arrived on the scene. One was clearly another officer, but Kenshin couldn't have cared less once he saw who had arrived alongside him. _Can it really be-?_

But she gave no sign of recognition, merely turned to the other officer. "Hojo-san, I think I can take care of this."

The middle-aged man looked at her curiously, but then shrugged and gestured to his subordinate. "Come on Hadashi, go harass someone else."

"Yes, sir!"

Once they were gone, Kenshin turned, to find that Kaoru was no more that three feet in front of him, looking as though he'd just come back from the dead. _Then again, that might as well be the case, _he thought with a twinge of regret. Three years had done a lot for his perspective, mostly to inform him that she was far more to him than he'd thought even then.

Yet there was no reason to believe she felt the same, or would forgive him even if she had. He'd walked out of her life, and though he'd been through Kyoto several times, not once had he visited. This time was supposed to be different, but he had still been unsure of how he would go about meeting her when she had taken the choice away from him.

"Kaoru-dono-" he was interrupted when she delivered a stinging slap to his unscarred cheek. He had deserved that. She was about ready to do the same with the other hand, but he deftly caught her wrist, then her right one when she tried a third time. He noticed with trepidation that she was shaking, shoulders heaving with silent sobs.

"Kaoru," he murmured, this time adopting a soothing tone, pulling her flush against him. She did not resist, but leaned freely upon him, and he could feel his gi moistening with her tears. He ran his hands up and down her back in what he hoped were calming motions.

"I love you," she managed between shuddering breaths. "I love you, and you left. How could you?" she gathered his gi into her fists, and he had to overcome his initial shock at this blunt proclamation before he could pry her fingers loose and step back.

Tilting her chin up, he used a thumb to wipe away the tear-streaks on her lovely face. "Kaoru," he said sincerely, "this one is sorry. You were never supposed to be hurt by this one's actions." She hiccupped slightly, and he dared to continue. What good were secrets or reservations now, after all this?

"In truth, Kaoru, I have loved you for a long time now. I just didn't recognize it for what it was, in you or in me. You changed me, Kaoru, utterly and completely. And I'm sorry I didn't realize it until I wasn't there anymore."

She blinked slowly, still sniffling, and nodded. "I'm sorry I never told you," she replied shakily. "I just… never thought you could feel the same. I feel kind of stupid now," she admitted.

Kenshin smiled. "You are anything but that." _Strong, yes, and beautiful, and kinder than I deserve, but never that._ With that thought, he closed the distance that remained between them and pressed his lips gently against hers, and for a moment, his world once again narrowed so that there was only Kaoru, and the feel of her lips on his and her smell and her gentle spirit against his ki sense.

And if that moment had been the extent of his world from then until the end of time, Kenshin would have happily lived forever.

_

* * *

To my readers:_

_I wish to take this moment to thank all of you for reading my little story. There are a number of excellent pieces you could have read instead, and to be truthful, it still flabbergasts me that anyone could be bothered to see this one through to the end. For that, every last one of you has my gratitude. Because of you, I kept writing._

_Next, I think a few dedicated reviewers deserve special mention for the frequency/quality of their reviews. So to Pterion, JMai, Caseyedith, Kokoronogamu, Geckohawaii, SRAS9, Daichlover, Brit02, Jiyoung, Jasmineblossom625, Aslickain Kiant, and Satora-wolf: a million thanks and a lifetime supply of this-author-loves-you-guys cookies. To all my other reviewers, know that your contributions were no less valuable in the writing process. Because of you, writing this was never a chore or something I __**had **__to do, but something I enjoyed immensely and looked forward to._

_Last but certainly not least, an extra-special thank you to Beth, the edit ninja and beta extraordinaire, without whom this story would contain more errors than I care to think about. Because of you, this story didn't totally suck._

_As a side note: I will be writing another story for this fandom, but I cannot say for sure if it will be the next thing I work on or not. I try to only do one or two projects at a time, so I ask that if you are interested, just keep your eyes open; it will most likely be appearing in either September or October of this year, and the working title is __**Hood.**__ Not terribly original, but alas._

_Love,  
~Kiku~_

* * *

Y'know, just because this is the last chapter doesn't mean reviews are any less awesome… just sayin'.


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